Malory: Narrative Style

In the section "The Knight of the Cart," Malory's narrative voice seems to come through slightly more so than in the other sections we have read. Malory takes the first three paragraphs of this tale to provide some exposition to set the scene for the story, which he has not done in previous writings. For example, in "The Poisoned Apple," Malory begins with a quick statement to catch the reader up: "When all the knights who had survived the quest of the Holy Grail had returned, there was much rejoicing at Camelot." (Malory 432). This a quick, summative sentence that informs the reader of where his story is beginning. "The Knight of the Cart" is very unique in that Malory has a much longer preamble, dedicating more time and energy into "setting up" the story for the reader. He gives readers an absolute time frame, starting with "It was the month of May" (Malory 458), which is uncommon for most of the stories, which typically begin with statements like "Some time later," or "After the return of the knights." Malory also takes this time to make some generalizations or observations about human nature. He writes, "Today, we know, love is commonly as the summer or winter: brief and lewd, or cold and brittle--men cannot love seven nights but they must have their desires." (Malory 458). Malory is, for what appears to be the first time, mentioning his current place in time and the habits of men in his generation, as opposed to King Arthur's. He makes a direct comparison between the two time periods, himself saying, "In King Arthur's time..." (Malory 458). This makes this section of Malory's writing invaluable to readers who are hoping to decipher what Malory's own motives and perspectives may be, and how the lenses through which he sees the world may affect the way he retells the stories of King Arthur.