The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958, and is mostly a composite of earlier works written between 1938 and 1941. The central theme is an exploration of human nature regarding power and justice, as the boy Arthur becomes king and attempts to quell the prevalent "might makes right" attitude with his idea of chivalry. But in the end, even chivalry comes undone since its justice is maintained by force.

The title comes from the inscription that, according to Le Morte d'Arthur, was written upon King Arthur's tomb: Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam, rexque futurus – "Here lies Arthur, king once, and king to be".

Plot introduction

Most of the book takes place in "Gramarye", the name White gives to Britain, and chronicles the raising and educating of King Arthur, his rule as a king, and the romance between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenever. Though Arthur, if he existed at all, would have ruled some time around the 6th century, the book is set around the 14th century, and the actual monarchs of that period are referred to as "mythical". The book ends immediately before Arthur's final battle against his illegitimate son Mordred. Though White admits his book's source material is loosely derived from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (The Death of Arthur), he reinterprets the epic events, filling them with renewed meaning for a world recovering from World War II.

The Once and Future King is the first segment of the twenty-fifth episode, the first episode of the second season (1986–87) of the television series The Twilight Zone.

Opening narration

Plot

Gary, an Elvis impersonator, opens in a smoke-filled lounge, singing "Heartbreak Hotel" in Elvis' signature 1950s gold lamé suit. Much to Gary's chagrin, his performance receives mediocre applause. Afterward, Gary is in his dressing room when his manager, Sandra, walks in. Sandra tells Gary that she was able to book him into a small hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The mere mention of Las Vegas drives Gary into a rant about how Vegas killed Elvis and how he didn't have to make the same mistakes he made just because he looked like Elvis. He laments about how it was great music, but she reminds him, it was...but it's not "his" music.

As Gary is driving down the road, he sees an incoherent driver coming the opposite direction swerving left and right. To avoid hitting the driver, Gary steers off the road, only to have his car flip upside-down. Gary awakes the next morning and sees the damage done to his car. He then gets up, grabs his guitar and starts thumbing for a ride. A man in an old pickup truck sees Gary and pulls over. Gary runs to the passenger-side door, and to his shock, sees that the man resembles Elvis. He offers Gary a ride, saying "You look...all shook up." When Gary opens the door, the sign on it says "Crown Electric Co.", which was the company Elvis worked for before getting his first recording contract.

The Once is a folk trio based in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. The group features Geraldine Hollett on lead vocals and vocalist-instrumentalists Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale playing a variety of instruments. The group performs a mix of original and traditional material and is often noted for what one reviewer calls their "gorgeous three part harmonies", which are sometimes performed a capella. In August 2009, they released an eponymous album on Borealis Records. In 2014, the group went on Passenger's Whispers Tour through the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Awards

Discography

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