Donald Barthelme, The King

Wajih Ayed (University of Sousse)

Ed. by Sofia Ahlberg, Uppsala University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1990

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

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King Arthur’s postmedieval return has fulfilled the promise said to be written on his tombstone in Thomas Malory’s

Morte D’Arthur

. Fascination with “the once and future King” and his Knights of the Round Table indeed “changed his life” from an ancient mythical king to a living literary legend (Malory 21.7:35; 33). Arthur has survived in literature and visual arts over centuries, and the lifecycle of his myth continues today because the values, themes, motifs, symbols, and characters of his universe are easily transferable or adaptable to modern contexts, genres, media, and audiences. The contemporary Arthurs of movies, documentaries, videogames, cartoons, comics, romances, graphic novels, and translations are avatars of the legendary king whose eternal return makes his…

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3193 words

Citation: Ayed, Wajih. "The King". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 April 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15899, accessed 03 December 2024.]

Donald Barthelme, The King

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