T.H. White: Master of Imagery, Characterization, and Tone

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Terence Hanbury White was born on May 29, 1906, in Bombay, India. He attended Cheltenham College and Queen’s College, Cambridge. At Queen’s College, White was tutored by L.J. Potts. He also wrote a thesis on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur without reading it and graduated with a first-class degree in English. He later taught at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. He wrote an autobiography entitled England Have My Bones, which was a narrative of his country life. White retired from Stowe School after four years of teaching. He focused on writing and on research about the Arthurian legends, which was later used to supply material for his books. White spent his time hunting, fishing, and looking after his numerous pets. White died while on a cruise in Greece on January 17, 1964 (“TH White Biography, Books, Interviews and Reviews on Fantasy Book Review”). White led a productive life and his contributions to literature won’t be forgotten.

T.H. White’s most famous book is The Once and Future King; it is a composite of four novels: The Sword in the Stone, The Queen of Air and Darkness, The Ill-Made Knight, and The Candle in the Wind. The quadrilogy is a fantasy based on the Arthurian legend. White uses an immense amount of imagery throughout the four novels, but it is most apparent in The Sword in the Stone. He brings in characterization in The Ill-Made Knight, and he exploits tone in The Candle in the Wind to contrast between the satiric approach in the beginning to the darkness of the conclusion, closing out this classic quadrilogy.

In The Sword in the Stone, T.H. White uses his talent of persuading the reader that he has already seen the things White describes and that the events are a part of the reader’s memory. White intenti...

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Works Cited

Currin, Nathan. “Sir Galahad | King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table.” King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table | History, Legend and Everything in Between. N.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2011.

Pettis, James E. "The Sword in the Stone Review." Life After Harry Potter. 2008. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.

Smiley, Jane. “Jane Smiley on The Once and Future King | Books | The Guardian.” Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk. 03 June 2006. Web. 26 Mar. 2011.

“TH White Biography, Books, Interviews and Reviews on Fantasy Book Review.” Fantasy Book Review: Reviews, Biographies, Bibliographies, Latest News. N.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2011

White, Terence Hanbury. The Once and Future King. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 1965. Print.

Wigginton, James. “T. H. White - “The Once and Future King”” Nabou.com - Book Reviews. N.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011.

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