Sir Thomas Malory

Karen Elaine Smyth (University of East Anglia)

Ed. by Hugh Magennis, Queen's University Belfast
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

Born c. 1420
Died 1471
Activity c. 1450-c. 1470

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Genres and Modes

Romance

Activities

Primary

Soldier
Translator
Writer / Author

Other

Priest

Resources

Malory's Works

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Intrigue, paradoxes and colourful scenarios could be terms employed to describe the compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of the great body of Arthurian legends commonly referred to as

Le Morte D'Arthur

; but in equal measure the terms can be applied to any attempt to write a biography of the man. Very little of any certainty is known about the author of one of the most popular prose romances of the medieval period. Internal evidence within this masterpiece of imaginative literature indicates he was a knight and a prisoner. He also describes himself as “a servant of Jesu both day and night”, leading some modern biographers to speculate he might have been a priest. The surname appears in various forms including “Mallorie” and “Maleore”. There are five individuals in the…

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2270 words

Citation: Smyth, Karen Elaine. "Sir Thomas Malory". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 August 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2899, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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