T.H. White's Reinterpretation of Malory's Le Morte Darthur: An Analysis of Shifting Meaning and Unstable Language

publication date: 31/01/2009
ISBN13: 9780773448148
Format: Hardback
Number Of Pages: 200
ID: 9780773448148
ISBN10: 0773448144

By: Louis J. Boyle (author)Hardback

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Description

This study demonstrates that the unstable signification so important to Malory's Arthurian world informs White's handling of his own version of the story. This study explores the complexities of unstable signification in the Arthurian work of T.H. White and his source, Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte Darthur". White's handling of the unstable linguistic signs in "The Once and Future King" and "The Book of Merlin" parallels the unstable signification in Malory's work. In "Malory", the interpretation of signs is extremely problematic, and misinterpretation is common in an unstable world subject to the randomness of fortune. White's handling of linguistic signs, including the names and formulaic language, suggests that he understood this aspect of Mallory's masterpiece.