The Sword in the Stone (Essential Modern Classics)

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There are no gratuitous acts of violence or sex in this book. Whatever happens serves to advance the tale. No swearing, no consumerism. Sex may be alluded to but not in any vulgar or explicit way. I believe this was merely part of an enchantment. At the end of summer, Wart is turned into a snake and meets another snake who tells him the long narrative of his species. He recounts how there were two kinds of snakes, and the nonvenomous snake was killed by a man. Around the same time, Sir Ector receives notice that King Pendragon will be visiting his castle to hunt, which causes him a great deal of anxiety. When the party arrives, they are guided by Twyti, a downtrodden but experienced hunter, and Robin Hood. They encounter a boar that nearly gores Twyti and is killed by Robin. In the same hunting party, Pellinore finally succeeds in catching the Questing Beast, but is immediately upset when he sees the state it is in. When Kay learns that Wart pulled it from the anvil, he knows it is the sword that will determine Uther Pendragon's successor. He tells Sir Ector that he pulled it from the stone. However, when Ector asks him to replicate the feat, Kay admits that Wart was responsible. Wart is terrified when Sir Ector and Kay bow to him as their King. Merlyn's lessons consist of transforming the Wart into different kinds of animals. The boy's first transformation is into a perch, and while swimming in the castle's moat, he meets Mr. P., a ruthless tyrant who talks to him about power. At different points in the novel, the Wart becomes a hawk, an ant, an owl, a wild goose, and a badger: Each animal reveals to the Wart a different way of life, political philosophy, or attitude toward war. Merlyn also has his pupil witness a tilting match (or joust) between King Pellinore and Sir Grummore, where the two men reveal their absurd need to follow the rules of sportsmanlike combat.

Later, Wart speaks to Archimedes about crows and is turned into an owl. He then has a mystical encounter with the goddess Athene at the "Tree of Dreams." After this, Merlyn takes the boys to see a giant. They narrowly escape being crushed by him and are saved by Pellinore and a revived Questing Beast who successfully fends off the giant. Six years pass and Wart struggles with what the future will hold for him as Kay's squire. He sulks before the ceremony and is turned into a badger by Merlyn. He then meets a hedgehog and a badger. Merlyn announces he will be departing soon as he has nothing left to teach the boys. T.H. White’s classic tale of the young Arthur’s questioning and discovery of his life is unparalleled for its wit and wisdom, and for its colorful characters, from the wise Merlyn to the heroic Robin Wood to the warmhearted King Pellinore.Kay expresses jealousy of Wart and his magical adventures. Merlyn tells them the story of a rabbi who walks with the prophet Elijah and is given a lavish welcome in a poor man's home and a stingy one in a rich merchant's home. Elijah causes the poor man's cow to fall ill and dies, while the merchant's wall is repaired by a mason. When asked why he did this by the rabbi, Elijah says he spared the poor man the loss of his wife while the repairs to the wall actually hid treasure from the rich man. Merlyn instructs Wart to take Kay on an adventure of their own. Walt Disney made an animated film adaptation of The Sword in the Stone, first released on 25 December 1963 by Buena Vista Distribution. Similar to many Disney films, it is based on the general plot of the original story, but much of the substance and depth of the story is considerably changed.

Wart and Merlyn return to Ector's castle, and the wizard becomes the boys' tutor. He pays special attention to Wart. Merlyn turns him into a fish, and together they explore the castle's moat. In one of their excursions, the boys and Merlyn encounter Little John, who leads them to Robin Hood (referred to as Robin Wood) and Marian. Their extended stay with Robin culminates in an encounter with a griffin. Kay manages to slay the beast, taking its head as a trophy. During the fray, the griffin breaks the Wart's collar bone. After he is crowned, Wart is given gifts from all over the world and from his friends, both animal and human. Sir Ector sends him a dunce cap, which transforms into Merlyn. The wizard explains that Wart is Uther's son, and that his real name is Arthur.As these lessons begin, Merlyn gives Wart the opportunity to have some magical adventures. In the first of these, he transforms him into a perch and they swim in the castle's moat, encountering a fearsome pike. Following this, Kay and Wart go bowhunting in the woods and kill some rabbits. They encounter a crow and realize they are in proximity to a witch's cottage. The witch, Madam Mim, traps them in her home. They are able to escape with the help of a talking goat and the eventual arrival of Merlyn. Merlyn challenges Madame Mim to a magical duel. They transform into different forms and Merlyn is nearly defeated but narrowly wins by becoming a germ of disease.

The version appearing in 1958 in the tetralogy was substantially revised, partly to incorporate events and themes that White had originally intended to cover in a fifth volume (which was finally published after his death, as The Book of Merlyn). To this end, the revised version includes several new episodes, including the ant and goose episodes, but leaves out some of the episodes that had appeared in the original (e.g. Merlyn's battle with Madam Mim which appeared in the Disney film). Some critics considered the revised version to be inferior to the original. [4] Publishers have tended to carry on using the original versions when they were published independently of the tetralogy. Later, they practice jousting and Wart bemoans the fact that he will never become a knight. Following this, King Pellinore arrives and tilts against Grunmore Grummerson, a knight in the service of Ector. Pellinore loses and the match devolves into a brawl. After this, on a dreary day, Wart decides he wants to become a hawk, which Merlyn allows him to do. He runs into Cully, Kay's falcon, in a group of militaristic falcons and is forced to demonstrate bravery to them. He succeeds and is celebrated with a song from the company. Six years pass. Kay prepares for his impending knighthood while the Wart continues his education. (The Wart will become Kay's squire after he is knighted.) King Pellinore informs Sir Ector, Sir Grummore, and Kay that Uther Pendragon has died without an heir, and to remedy this politically chaotic situation, a sword has appeared outside a church in London, running through an anvil and into a stone. The inscription on the sword's pommel reads, "Whoso Pulleth Out This Sword of the Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of All England." A tournament is announced on New Year's Day to give all able men in England a chance to remove the sword. Kay convinces his father that they should attend, and he agrees. The Wart then enters, upset at Merlyn's announcement that he will no longer be tutoring him. Merlyn does assure the boy, however, that they will meet again.

About T. H. White

The Sword in the Stone is a 1938 novel by British writer T. H. White. First published by Collins in the United Kingdom as a stand-alone work, it later became the first part of a tetralogy, The Once and Future King. A fantasy of the boyhood of King Arthur, it is a sui generis work which combines elements of legend, history, fantasy, and comedy. Walt Disney Productions adapted the story to an animated film, and the BBC adapted it to radio. Before there was a famous king named Arthur, there was a curious boy named Wart and a kind old wizard named Merlyn. Transformed by Merlyn into the forms of his fantasy, Wart learns the value of history from a snake, of education from a badger, and of courage from a hawk–the lessons that help turn a boy into a man. Together, Wart and Merlyn take the reader through this timeless story of childhood and adventure– The Sword in the Stone.