Le Morte d’Arthur
by Sir Thomas Malory

Le Morte d’Arthur: Style 1 key example

Book 21
Explanation and Analysis:

The style of the book is anecdotal. The narrator speaks plainly in prose, rather than in the verse that many other Arthurian Romances use. The chapters are usually short tales or even fables that form the epic tale of Arthur's reign only when they are strung together. For example, Volume 1, Book 3, Chapter 7 describes how Gawaine accidentally beheads an innocent woman because he can't control his rage toward her lover for killing his hounds. Afterward, Sir Gaheris tells Gawaine that he will never wash away the moral stain the accident has left on him. This story stands on its own as a fable about revenge. In the broader narrative, it has an even greater role as an early moment that reveals Gawaine's fatal character flaw, a hot temper.