The Sword and the Circle

1981 novel by Rosemary Sutcliff

The Sword and the Circle

First edition

Author| Rosemary Sutcliff
Language| English
Genre| Matter of Britain
Published| 1981 by The Bodley Head
Publication place| Great Britain
Media type| Print (Hardcover)
ISBN| 0-370-30387-3

* Children's literature portal

The Sword and the Circle, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a children's novel written by Rosemary Sutcliff and was first published in 1981. The story is a retelling of the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.[1] According to her own statements in the introduction, The Sword and the Circle follows the myths and folktales of King Arthur, crediting inspiration primarily from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur; other sources include Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, English ballads, and Irish folktales.[2] She contrasts this telling of the King Arthur story with her previous novels, The Lantern Bearers and Sword at Sunset, which were more an attempt to connect with a concrete historical figure behind the folktales.

## Plot summary

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The novel is broken into thirteen chapters, with the first five being the development of King Arthur's background, while the remaining are nearly stand-alone stories covering the exploits of different knights. He is shown as the son of Uther Pendragon, begot upon Lady Igraine with the assistance of Merlin. Merlin did not feature in Sutcliff's previous Arthurian stories of Sword at Sunset, but is shown here as being the driving force behind the ascension of King Arthur and his court. Merlin is depicted as being descended from the Lordly Ones, or the 'Little Dark People', as Sutcliff commonly refers to the possible original inhabitants of Great Britain. He orchestrates Arthur's upbringing under Sir Ector, alongside his foster brother Sir Kay. Arthur's identity as ruler of Britain is revealed when he pulls the Sword from the Stone, but he later receives Excalibur, a different sword, from the Lady in the Lake.

The rest of the novel's chapters cover many of the other classic Arthurian characters and tales, including: the origins of Lancelot of the Lake, as well as his encounters with Elaine; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Beaumains, the Kitchen Knight; Tristan and Iseult, in a retelling nearly identical to Sutcliff's earlier novel of the same name, albeit a much shorter version; Geraint and Enid; Gawain and the Loathly Lady; and finally the arrival of Percival at Arthur's court, which is connected by Merlin's previous prophecies to presage the beginning of the Round Table's downfall.

The book stops here, to be continued in The Light Beyond the Forest and The Road to Camlann.

## References

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1. ^ "Sutcliff, Rosemary". Archived from the original on 6 May 2022.
2. ^ Sutcliff, Rosemary: The Sword and the Circle pp. 7-8

## External links

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* Official website with more on book and author

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Works by Rosemary Sutcliff

Eagle of the Ninth |

* The Eagle of the Ninth
* The Silver Branch
* Frontier Wolf
* The Lantern Bearers
* Sword at Sunset
* Dawn Wind
* Sword Song
* The Shield Ring

Arthurian|

* The Lantern Bearers
* Sword at Sunset
* Tristan and Iseult
* The Arthurian Trilogy
* The Sword and the Circle
* The Light Beyond the Forest
* The Road to Camlann
* The Shining Company

Other novels|

| Children's novels|

* The Chronicles of Robin Hood (Oxford, 1950), illus. C. Walter Hodges
* The Queen Elizabeth Story (1950) illus. C. Walter Hodges
* The Armourer's House (1951) illus. C. Walter Hodges
* Brother Dusty-Feet (1952), illus. by C. Walter Hodges
* Simon (1953), illus. Richard Kennedy
* Outcast (1955), illus. Richard Kennedy
* Warrior Scarlet (1958), illus. Charles Keeping
* Knight's Fee (1960), illus. Charles Keeping
* Bridge Builders (1960), illus. Douglas Relf
* Beowulf: Dragonslayer (1961) illus. Charles Keeping
* The Hound of Ulster (1963), illus. Victor Ambrus
* The Mark of the Horse Lord (1965), illus. Charles Keeping
* The Chief's Daughter (1967), illus. Victor Ambrus
* The High Deeds of Finn MacCool (1967), illus. Michael Charleton
* A Circlet of Oak Leaves (1968), illus. Victor Ambrus
* The Witch's Brat (1970), illus. Richard Lebenson
* The Truce of the Games (1971), illus. Victor Ambrus
* Heather, Oak, and Olive (1972), illus. Victor Ambrus
* The Capricorn Bracelet (1973), illus. Charles Keeping (later, Richard Cuffari)
* The Changeling (1974), illus. Victor Ambrus
* We Lived in Drumfyvie (1975), by Sutcliff and Margaret Lyford-Pike
* Blood Feud (1976), illus. Charles Keeping
* Sun Horse, Moon Horse (1977), illus. Shirley Felts
* Shifting Sands (1977), illus. Laslzo Acs
* Song for a Dark Queen (1978)
* Eagle's Egg (1981), illus. Victor Ambrus
* Bonnie Dundee (1983)
* Flame-coloured Taffeta (1986), illus. Rachel Birkett
* The Roundabout Horse (1986) illus. Alan Marks
* A Little Dog Like You (1987) illus. Jane Johnson
* The Best of Rosemary Sutcliff (1987), illus. Charles Keeping—omnibus edition of Warrior Scarlet, The Mark of the Horse Lord, and Knight's Fee (1958–1965)
* The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup (1993, posthumous), illus. by Emma Chichester Clark
* Black Ships Before Troy (1993, posth.), illus. Alan Lee
* Chess-dream in a Garden (1993, posth.), illus. Ralph Thompson
* The Wanderings of Odysseus (1995, posth.), illus. Alan Lee

|

Adult novels|

* Lady in Waiting (1957)
* Rider on a White Horse (1959)
* Sword at Sunset (1963)
* The Flowers of Adonis (1969)
* Blood and Sand (1987)

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