Ahead of her eagerly anticipated Roundtable course on T.H. White’s The Once and Future King — the definitive 20th century retelling of the legend of King Arthur and Merlin — Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jane Smiley (A Thousand Acres, Moo, Perestroika in Paris) sat down to talk to us about her early encounters with the classic tale, White’s unique blend of fantasy and history, her fascination with White himself, and more.
When did you first encounter The Once and Future King? What was your initial reaction to it?
I actually didn't read White until I had already started writing, but I did watch the Disney film The Sword in the Stone when I was young, and I enjoyed it. When I read White for the first time, I was taken by the depictions of nature that he explores when Wart — who will one day become King Arthur — is growing up and being transformed by Merlin into various animals. I thought that was very imaginative, and I also thought he was good at depicting a pre-industrial British landscape.
Has your response changed since then?
It has to some degree. Now what I notice is White's attempts at sorting out the conflicts in the legends, and at the same time giving a modern reader more of an idea of how the psychology of the conflicts might have worked. I don't think that he imagines exactly when the action is taking place — say the 5th century or the 12th century. He accepts that it is a magic world that could be right now. I think it is a cross between historical novel and fantasy, and that makes it both easier to understand and harder to picture.
You could have picked any novel to teach. Why The Once and Future King? What about this novel feels especially resonant to you right now?
I think it is White himself, who lived a troubled life in troubled times, and in many ways the problems he is trying to solve while composing his works are what is interesting. I also appreciate what it means to try to rewrite earlier works so that they are relevant and interesting to a modern audience.
The Once and Future King has a curious status among readers and critics — it is widely considered a classic, but its popularity is eclipsed by other literary fantasy epics of its time. Why do you think this is the case?
I wouldn't call it a fantasy, strictly. There are fantastic elements, but White writes about them as if they are taking place in the real world. I think he wants to give the characters powers that put them into the world rather than removing them from it.
What do you hope a participant in your course takes away from the experience?
Not only an appreciation of White's novel, but also an understanding of his life and psychology, and also his love of nature. He is a great example of a writer who dealt with a lot of issues but managed to be productive all the same. An interesting man.
Reading T.H. White's The Once and Future King with Jane Smiley begins Tuesday, July 19. Sign up today.