Le Morte D'Arthur
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Narrated by:
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Frederick Davidson
About this listen
The story begins with King Uther Pendragon's use of enchantment to lay with Igraine, Duchess of Cornwall. Arthur is conceived and taken away in secret, returning as a young man to claim the throne by pulling the sword Excalibur from the stone. In retelling the story of Arthur's rule of Britain, Malory intertwines the romances of Guinevere and Launcelot, Tristram and Isolde, and Launcelot and Elaine. Sir Galahad's appearance at Camelot begins the quest for the Holy Grail. Finally, Camelot is brought down by the conflict between King Arthur and his natural son, Mordred.
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Don Quixote
- By: John Ormsby - translator, Miguel de Cervantes
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 36 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The most influential work of the entire Spanish literary canon and a founding work of modern Western literature, Don Quixote is also one of the greatest works ever written. Hugely entertaining but also moving at times, this episodic novel is built on the fantasy life of one Alonso Quixano, who lives with his niece and housekeeper in La Mancha. Quixano, obsessed by tales of knight errantry, renames himself ‘Don Quixote’ and with his faithful servant Sancho Panza, goes on a series of quests.
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More than funny
- By Colin on 08-21-11
By: John Ormsby - translator, and others
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Waverley
- By: Sir Walter Scott
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Waverley by Sir Walter Scott is an enthralling tale of love, war and divided loyalties. Taking place during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the novel tells the story of proud English officer Edward Waverley. After being posted to Dundee, Edward eventually befriends chieftain of the Highland Clan Mac-Ivor and falls in love with his beautiful sister Flora. He then renounces his former loyalties in order actively to support Scotland in open rebellion against the Union with England. The book depicts stunning, romantic panoramas of the Highlands.
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Loved it
- By Tad Davis on 04-12-18
By: Sir Walter Scott
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Don Quixote
- Translated by Edith Grossman
- By: Edith Grossman - translator, Miguel de Cervantes
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 39 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Sixteenth-century Spanish gentleman Don Quixote, fed by his own delusional fantasies, takes to the road in search of chivalrous adventures. But his quest leads to more trouble than triumph. At once humorous, romantic, and sad, Don Quixote is a literary landmark. This fresh edition, by award-winning translator Edith Grossman, brings the tale to life as never before.
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My Fourth Try at an Audible Quixote
- By James on 12-24-12
By: Edith Grossman - translator, and others
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Idylls of the King
- By: Alfred Tennyson
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The Arthurian legend of Camelot has been told many times, but never better than by Alfred Tennyson. Employing some of the most stirring and beautiful blank verse ever written, Tennyson crafted his version of the Knights of the Round Table over the course of nearly fifty years, completing it in 1885. Despite the length of time, Tennyson managed to maintain a high level of style and continuity throughout.
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Beautiful poetry
- By Roger on 01-15-08
By: Alfred Tennyson
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Don Quixote
- By: Miguel de Cervantes, Gerald J. Davis - translator
- Narrated by: John Hanks
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
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Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, follows the adventures of Alonso Quijano, a hidalgo who reads so many chivalric novels that he decides to set out to revive chivalry, under the name Don Quixote. This is the story that a Nobel Prize Committee survey of one hundred of the world's best writers named "the greatest book of all time."
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A wonderful, magical listen
- By K on 12-01-13
By: Miguel de Cervantes, and others
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Njál's Saga
- By: Anonymous
- Narrated by: Gunnar Cauthery
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on events that took place between 960 and 1020 AD, Njál 's Saga is a mesmerizing drama about a multigenerational cycle of violence and retribution, and the feuds and passions that perpetuate it. The eponymous sage Njál, known for his keen legal mind, is one of Iceland's pre-eminent men, along with Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a fierce and formidable warrior married to the diabolical Hallgerd, whose conniving instigates the interminable pattern of romance, action and brutality - until one unforgivable act ends it all.
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censored version
- By Amazon Customer on 01-26-21
By: Anonymous
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Le Morte d'Arthur
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Brilliant and powerful
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The glorious but tragic story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is one of the great legends of Western civilization. Storytellers and poets down the centuries have returned repeatedly to the universal themes of the Quest of the Holy Grail and the love between Sir Launcelot and Queen Guenever. Yet the first printed account, written by the 15th century knight Sir Thomas Malory, remains unmatched.
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Gorgeous narration
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To the modern eye, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have many similarities to our own contemporary super-heroes. Equipped with magical powers, enchanted swords, super-strength, and countless villains to take on, they protect the weak and innocent and adhere to their own code of honor. Comparing Batman, Superman, and Captain America to Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Galahad isn't a huge leap of the imagination.
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This is my go-to audio version of Malory
- By Arthurian Tapestry on 03-16-19
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Le Morte d'Arthur
- By: Sir Thomas Malory
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Hear the immortal story of Arthur, the once and future king! The legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a superb story of adventure, love, honor, and betrayal. Originally published in 1485, Malory's epic poem, Le Morte d'Arthur, is filled with dramatic power and deep, tragic irony. Guenever, Launcelot, Mordred, the quest for the Holy Grail and the ultimate doom of Arthur's realm - it's all here.
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Derek Jacobi is Astounding
- By Edward on 05-31-03
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Le Morte d'Arthur, Vol. 2
- By: Sir Thomas Malory, William Caxton - editor
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 17 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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This monumental work made the Arthurian cycle available for the first time in English. Malory took a body of legends from Celtic folklore that had been adapted into French literature, gave them an English perspective, and produced a work which ever since has had tremendous influence upon literature.
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The Holy Grail
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Merlin, Arthur, Galahad, Lancelot - the names conjure images of knights in armor during the age of chivalry. When Le Morte D'Arthur was first published in 1485, it was the first time the mélange of medieval tales had been given unity, form, and the English language. Sir Thomas Malory, an English knight born in the early 1400s, wrote Le Morte D'Arthur - a set of 8 romances having to do with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - when he was in Newgate Gaol. The Holy Grail is one of the most famous.
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Four hours to find the Holy Grail
- By Phebe on 10-20-13
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Le Morte d'Arthur
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Overall
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Brilliant and powerful
- By Tad Davis on 05-19-21
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Le Morte d'Arthur (The Death of Arthur)
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- Narrated by: Philip Madoc
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
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Overall
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The glorious but tragic story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is one of the great legends of Western civilization. Storytellers and poets down the centuries have returned repeatedly to the universal themes of the Quest of the Holy Grail and the love between Sir Launcelot and Queen Guenever. Yet the first printed account, written by the 15th century knight Sir Thomas Malory, remains unmatched.
-
-
Gorgeous narration
- By Carpe Diem on 03-22-08
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Le Morte D'Arthur
- By: Sir Thomas Malory
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 37 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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To the modern eye, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have many similarities to our own contemporary super-heroes. Equipped with magical powers, enchanted swords, super-strength, and countless villains to take on, they protect the weak and innocent and adhere to their own code of honor. Comparing Batman, Superman, and Captain America to Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Galahad isn't a huge leap of the imagination.
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This is my go-to audio version of Malory
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Hear the immortal story of Arthur, the once and future king! The legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a superb story of adventure, love, honor, and betrayal. Originally published in 1485, Malory's epic poem, Le Morte d'Arthur, is filled with dramatic power and deep, tragic irony. Guenever, Launcelot, Mordred, the quest for the Holy Grail and the ultimate doom of Arthur's realm - it's all here.
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Derek Jacobi is Astounding
- By Edward on 05-31-03
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- By: Sir Thomas Malory, William Caxton - editor
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This monumental work made the Arthurian cycle available for the first time in English. Malory took a body of legends from Celtic folklore that had been adapted into French literature, gave them an English perspective, and produced a work which ever since has had tremendous influence upon literature.
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The Holy Grail
- By: Sir Thomas Malory
- Narrated by: John Franklyn-Robbins
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Merlin, Arthur, Galahad, Lancelot - the names conjure images of knights in armor during the age of chivalry. When Le Morte D'Arthur was first published in 1485, it was the first time the mélange of medieval tales had been given unity, form, and the English language. Sir Thomas Malory, an English knight born in the early 1400s, wrote Le Morte D'Arthur - a set of 8 romances having to do with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - when he was in Newgate Gaol. The Holy Grail is one of the most famous.
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Four hours to find the Holy Grail
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The stories of King Arthur and Merlin, Lancelot and Guinevere, Galahad, Gawain, Tristan and the rest of the Knights of the Roundtable, and the search for the Holy Grail have been beloved for centuries and are the inspiration of many modern fantasy novels, films, and shows. These legends began when an obscure Celtic hero named Arthur stepped on to the stage of history sometime in the sixth century, generating a host of oral tales that would be inscribed some 900 years later by Thomas Malory in his classic Morte D’Arthur (The Death of Arthur).
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Rare, never heard stories of King Arthur!
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Four Arthurian Romances
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The Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troyes form the wellspring of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Stories of knightly valour in the Welsh Marches had existed before the 12th century, but it was the magnificent poetry and imagination of Chrétien, the 12th century French poet and trouvère, which brought alive the great characters of Arthur, his wife Guinevere, Lancelot and others.
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Ukemi Audio: Doing the Lord’s Work
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The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
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For hundreds of years, the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has been one of the world's most precious literary possessions. In 1902, the distinguished American artist Howard Pyle undertook to retell and illustrate this classic. His four-volume work has long been considered one of the outstanding interpretations of the Arthurian cycle.
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The Eternal Story
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By: Howard Pyle
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King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
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These stories are about how, many years ago, Arthur the once and future King of England, set out to save his country from the troubles that plagued it, aided by the brave knights of the Round Table, and the most famous sword in the world, Excalibur. How Merlin the Wizard fought against the wicked Morgana le Fay's enchantments, and how Arthur loved and lost the beautiful Guinevere, his Queen.
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A Voice to be Heard
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The Once and Future King
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- Unabridged
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The complete "box set" of T. H. White's epic fantasy novel of the Arthurian legend. The novel is made up of five parts: "The Sword in the Stone", "The Witch in the Wood", "The Ill-Made Knight", "The Candle in the Wind", and "The Book of Merlyn".
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My favorite book this year.
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By: T. H. White
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The Death of King Arthur
- A New Verse Translation
- By: Simon Armitage - translator
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- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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First appearing around 1400, The Alliterative Morte Arthur, or The Death of King Arthur, is one of the most widely beloved and spectacularly alliterative poems ever penned in Middle English. Now, from the internationally acclaimed translator of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, comes this magisterial new presentation of the Arthurian tale, rendered in unflinching and gory detail. Following Arthur's bloody conquests across the cities and fields of Europe, all the way to his spectacular and even bloodier fall, this masterpiece features some of the most spellbinding and poignant passages in English poetry.
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Hardcore Arthur Fans and Medievalists Will Love It
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Idylls of the King
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- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Arthurian legend of Camelot has been told many times, but never better than by Alfred Tennyson. Employing some of the most stirring and beautiful blank verse ever written, Tennyson crafted his version of the Knights of the Round Table over the course of nearly fifty years, completing it in 1885. Despite the length of time, Tennyson managed to maintain a high level of style and continuity throughout.
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Beautiful poetry
- By Roger on 01-15-08
By: Alfred Tennyson
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The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
- By: Howard Pyle
- Narrated by: David Thorn
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- Unabridged
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American author Howard Pyle (who also wrote The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood) weaves the tales of chivalrous knights, the magic sword of Excalibur, the magician Merlin the Wise, and the legendary Arthur, later to become King of Britain. Pyle describes bouts of jousting and knightly jealousies played out in grand style.
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An Entertaining Account of Arthur’s Early Days
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By: Howard Pyle
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The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis
- By: Louis Markos, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Louis Markos
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- Original Recording
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What can we still learn from C.S. Lewis? Find out in these 12 insightful lectures that cover the author's spiritual autobiography, novels, and his scholarly writings that reflect on pain and grief, love and friendship, prophecy and miracles, and education and mythology.
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Basically a collection of sermons
- By Richard on 11-20-13
By: Louis Markos, and others
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Morte d’Arthur
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- Narrated by: Denis Daly
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- Unabridged
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This is the first of Tennyson's poems to be based on Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur. The first draft was composed in 1834, and the finished work was published in Poems (1842). Later Tennyson incorporated the poem into the Idylls of the King (1870) under the title of "The Passing of Arthur". The narrative of this poem was drawn from the third, fourth, and fifth chapters of the 21st book of Thomas Malory's romance.
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Waverley
- By: Sir Walter Scott
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Waverley by Sir Walter Scott is an enthralling tale of love, war and divided loyalties. Taking place during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the novel tells the story of proud English officer Edward Waverley. After being posted to Dundee, Edward eventually befriends chieftain of the Highland Clan Mac-Ivor and falls in love with his beautiful sister Flora. He then renounces his former loyalties in order actively to support Scotland in open rebellion against the Union with England. The book depicts stunning, romantic panoramas of the Highlands.
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Loved it
- By Tad Davis on 04-12-18
By: Sir Walter Scott
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The Canterbury Tales
- A New Unabridged Translation by Burton Raffel
- By: Geoffrey Chaucer
- Narrated by: uncredited
- Length: 22 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Lively, absorbing, often outrageously funny, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is a work of genius, an undisputed classic that has held a special appeal for each generation of readers. The Tales gathers 29 of literature's most enduring (and endearing) characters in a vivid group portrait that captures the full spectrum of medieval society, from the exalted Knight to the humble Plowman. This unabridged work is based on the new translation.
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Lack of coherant "chapters"
- By Jensophie on 02-24-10
By: Geoffrey Chaucer
What listeners say about Le Morte D'Arthur
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Az User
- 08-10-13
Wonderful story and reading.
Would you listen to Le Morte D'Arthur again? Why?
Le Morte D'Arthur is an easy listen and I would listen to it again because these timeless tales are always entertaining.
Have you listened to any of Frederick Davidson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
This book is just as great as other Frederick Davidson's readings. I don't know why some people do not like his voice, I find it great. Have you ever heard him read Les Miserabes by Victor Hugo...FANTASTIC!
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9 people found this helpful
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- MW Bychowski
- 06-15-15
Before weekly TV, radio & comics there was Arthur
What did you love best about Le Morte D'Arthur?
Le Morte is not just one story but many, not the first but one of the best compendiums of King Arthur's knights. The Roundtable was host to diverse knights with substantially varied personalities and types of adventures. A Sir Tristan tale and a Sir Gawain tale represent different mini-genres within chivalric romance.
What other book might you compare Le Morte D'Arthur to and why?
Le Morte is most like a collection of super-hero stories like the Avengers and the Justice League, representing the work of many different authors, versions of the characters, and evolving narratives.
Which scene was your favorite?
The Book of Sir Tristan is a personal favorite for its examination of uncertain truth, depressive madness, and broken love.
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- Jacob Taylor
- 06-14-19
Good Performance Boring Book
I enjoy classical literature, The Iliad, Aeneid, De Troyes Poems, and others, but Malory was a struggle. i started reading this over a year ago and was only.able to finish by switching.to an audiobook. Le Morte de Arthur is an impressive piece of scholarship and required reading for those interested in the Arthurian Mythos, but not well-written or engaging. Still, there's a captivating trait of the core of the legend that engages the imagination. To that, I can't say I enjoyed it, but I cannot say,I wouldn't recommend reading it.
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- Matthew Henken
- 06-14-16
Frederick Davidson does a great job with a true cl
Any additional comments?
I really wrote this review because I was was nearly put off buying this audiobook because of the negative reviews of Frederick Davidson's narration. I'm glad I took the plunge. Davidson does an absolutely fabulous job with what is, after all, some challenging material. He makes it fresh and personal while preserving the formality of this old text. A triumph of literature (obviously) and of narration (contrary to the opinions of some other reviewers)!
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6 people found this helpful
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- Julian
- 12-22-18
Once a knight, always a knight...
Twice a night, and you're doing all right (so saith the Goodies). To deal with the narrator first, clearly he divides opinion, but I am a big fan of Mr Davidson. He was the reason I took this book on and he did not disappoint - his carried me through endless lists of jousting scores and left me always wanting more. To me he represents the best of England - deeply erudite, yet wearing his learning lightly, with diction that could cut diamond. To render Malory's early modern English in a way that is faithful to the text yet flows naturally for the modern listener is a formidable intellectual exercise as much as a dramatic performance - as a simple example, his reading of the common but tricky sentence "I will well" is a minor masterpiece in prosody and emphasis. To hear him dwell on the phrase "He knew her, fleshly" is to hear all the vice of Sodom and Gomorrah packed into four words. I also love his characterisation - young voices, old voices, Welsh, Scots, Irish, male, female, knight, priest, "damosel", and peasant, are all vividly and effortlessly differentiated. His crowning achievement (sorry) is the way Arthur evolves through the book from the likely lad to dying saint, while always recognisable as the greatest among Christian men.
As for the text, in addition to being the first prose masterpiece in the language, it offers so many golden nuggets of expression - including the word "bigly", which so many attribute to the current US President. On the downside, Malory, and his editor Caxton, are careless of the modern conventions of fiction - they throw spoilers in as a matter of course, and frequently "bury the lead". Also I'll admit I skipped a large part of the tale of Sir Tristram. However at times it reaches lofty heights of drama and pathos - the speeches of Sir Lancelot near the end ring with passionate resignation. On an scholarly note, it is also fascinating to hear how the pagan coexists with the Christian, and magic with divine grace.
One warning... as often happens during my listening, I found theme music constantly running through my head - in this case it was "Knights of the Round Table" from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail in alternation with "Camelot" from the musical of that name, so beware of that.
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- Troy
- 02-24-14
Not Quite as I Remembered
Like so many, I grew up reading the tales of Arthur, and though it's been years since I've read this particular version of it, it's always stood out to me as one of the best versions. Let it be said that it's still a fantastic version, but it's nowhere near as straightforward as I remember it.
The knights and their lineages are given rapidly (it's good to have Wiki or some other resource with you), and many of the story points are told out of order or given through prophecy. I realize that spoilers are a bit of a non-issue for a story like this, but for a first-timer, it's not the most friendly version. Then again, they do kind of give you all the spoilers in the book's description, don't they? Even so, it doesn't detract from the magic of the tales.
This particular reading... skip it. Unless you're already predisposed as liking Frederick Davidson's narrating style, let this be a warning. Like so many other reviewers, I find his voice to be ok, but his tone and presentation make him come across like a British Tommy Lee Jones: bored, annoyed, and otherwise disgusted with the material. I have an abridged version on cassette narrated by Derek Jacobi that I bought some 20+ years ago, and it's a far, far superior reading. I'd love to find an unabridged version by him or someone with equal enthusiasm for the material.
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21 people found this helpful
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- Craig
- 05-14-14
Superheroes of Ancient England Assemble!
What did you love best about Le Morte D'Arthur?
It is difficult to pick only one thing and so I feel the best part of this book is the fact that you may see the root from which so many other hero stories draw their inspiration.
Have you listened to any of Frederick Davidson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have heard a number of Mr Davidson's performances and I feel that this one maintains the high standards that he has set before.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
This is not a book for a single sitting. Putting it simply, there are just too many stories, characters and events for a single sitting (I had to break it up with something more modern; Hamlet). This is not truly flowing story because you are introduced to a astounding number of characters and the heroic events of their lives, which, putting it directly, makes this book better to be taken in sections in order to digest the events just listened to.
Any additional comments?
I was initially nervous about purchasing this book due the number of complaints about Mr Davidson's reading of it, but I can honestly say that his reading was excellent and that I have no idea why there are the complaints that there are or what provoked them. The reading was done by an Englishman about Englishmen and his variation of accent and attitude were excellent. The only complaint that I have ever had with Mr Davidson's characterizations were in the way he reads American accents, but as there are no Americans in this book I have no complaints about his performance.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall
- David
- 01-16-11
Chapter Marking are Helpful
The chapter markers are completely meaningless for chapters in the work. Really disappointed in that. The reading is good but you really have to pay attention as it is read really quickly without a lot of breaks between sections of the stories.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- fvandr4x
- 04-22-17
Absolutely Awful Audio
This has to be "thee" worse audiobook recordings that I have ever encountered. The artificial English ascent is awful. It is really unfortunate .
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Overall
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Performance
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- Jeff
- 11-27-18
Lifeless narration
I was excited to hear the Arthur story, but after only a couple chapters I had to stop listening. The narrator is emotionless and lifeless. He sounds so bored and is reading in such a monotone voice he seems to be racing to get to the end so he can go home.
I will be listening to the story, just with a different narrator.
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