The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions

by Howard Pyle

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Pages: 187

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About this book

King Arthur's court supplies the setting for a series of knightly adventures in Howard Pyle's 1907 retelling of English legends. Sir Launcelot sets out to rescue Queen Guinevere from Sir Mellegrans, while other sections follow Gareth of Orkney and Sir Ewaine. River crossings guarded by armed opponents, a tournament at Astolat and the great Worm of Corbin give these tales their varied tests of courage and skill.

Pyle also shows the strain behind Launcelot's reputation as a champion. In one episode, the distressed knight races through a forest until he reaches a hermit's dwelling, where he receives food, shelter and care. The formal storytelling voice and chapter summaries recall older chronicles, while the episodes move between courtly duties, dangerous encounters and acts of kindness. Readers interested in Arthurian tradition can find both the public spectacle of knighthood and its more vulnerable human side here.

About the author

Howard Pyle

Howard Pyle was an American illustrator, painter, and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.