Guinevere and Lancelot

Book excerpt: The King Arthur-Lancelot-Guinevere legend is known, and so re-tellings of it tend to amplify its magnitude for dramatic appeal or provide as-yet-unknown details that flesh out new terrain. But the charm of the legend is that there are conflicting accounts, stories in multiple languages that over hundreds of years have become authentic and primary in themselves. This is where Guinevere and Lancelot fit in. The characters are here, the ones we expect, like King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, Gawain, Perceval, as are the adventures, like kidnapping, swordplay, and romantic intrigue. But unlike other stories, we have in Guinevere and Lancelot a departure into landscapes, psychology, and dialogue worthy of the legend. We get real anxiety, complacency, vanity, desperation. King Arthur sees his fate, knows he is helpless against it, and so seeks to erase his fate by accelerating through it. Lancelot's dynamism comes from how casual he is, how complacent, as he seems comfortable with being pinned down by his duty. And Guinevere, who finally gets proper attention, is not just a trophy to be won, but takes charge of her own destiny, finally. Guinevere and Lancelot is a modern tale, and it is what we want when we say to someone, please, tell us a story.