Le Morte d’Arthur · Chapter
Bibliographical Note explained
This chapter provides a detailed account of the publication history of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, from its completion in 1469-1470 through Caxton's first printed edition in 1485 and subsequent reprints by Wynkyn de Worde, William Copland,
What happens
This chapter provides a detailed account of the publication history of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, from its completion in 1469-1470 through Caxton's first printed edition in 1485 and subsequent reprints by Wynkyn de Worde, William Copland, Thomas East, and Thomas Stansby. It discusses the editorial changes made by Caxton, the loss of the original manuscript, and the scholarly efforts of editors like Robert Southey, Sir Edward Strachey, Dr. H. Oskar Sommer, and Israel Gollancz to restore and modernize the text. The note also explores the identity of Sir Thomas Malory, suggesting he may have been a Lancastrian knight who wrote the work while imprisoned, and traces the sources Malory used, including French romances and English metrical works.
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Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Sir Launcel…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingKey passages
“Caxton finished his edition the last day of July 1485, some fifteen or sixteen years after Malory wrote his epilogue.”
Caxton completed his printing of the Morte d'Arthur on July 31, 1485, about 15 to 16 years after Malory finished writing the epilogue.
Establishes the timeline between Malory's completion of the manuscript and Caxton's publication.
“If the Morte D'Arthur was really written in prison and by a prisoner distressed by ill-health as well as by lack of liberty, surely no task was ever better devised to while away weary hours.”
If Malory indeed wrote the Morte d'Arthur while imprisoned and suffering from both sickness and confinement, no work could have been more suitable for passing the time.
Speculates on Malory's circumstances during the writing of the book.
