White, T. H.
White, T. H. (Terence Hanbury White, 1906–64),English author of novels based on Arthurian legend. The earliest, The Sword in the Stone (1938) was published with his own illustrations. Set in a mock medieval England, it is a fantastic and light‐hearted account of the education of young Arthur (the Wart). He is brought up with Kay, his foster‐father's son, under the tutelage of Merlyn. Merlyn's lessons include much magic, and in the forest outside there are witches and outlaws. The book ends when the Wart, totally unaware of the significance of the act, pulls the sword from the stone and to his dismay becomes king. The original text of the book was altered so that it could be fitted into the four‐part novel, The Once and Future King (1958). This shows Arthur as king; the romance of Lancelot and Guinevere is a prominent theme.
Mistress Masham's Repose (1947) is a fantasy about a colony of Lilliputians, descended from a few...
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