T.H. White's Troubled Heart

Book excerpt: An analysis of women in The Once and Future King. The contexts for the The Once and Future King are here expertly analysed through the lenses of previously unpublished materials (and drawings) from the Ransom Center, by the late novelist and poet Kurth Sprague. The author concentrates on White's misogyny as a result of his reaction to his difficult mother Constance, but he equally focuses on the charm of White's other queen, Guenevere. Nothing had more impact on White than his mother, his dogs, and his friendships (though his readings in the history of chivalry are very deep), and this book enables us to see the development of White's monumental and symphonic work.