The tone and theme of T.H. White's novel are both a little surprising. I found the at times cartoonish atmosphere unexpected yet amusing, which lightened what would otherwise have been a heavy thesis on war and justice. The theme is brilliantly developed and the writing style fluid. White must have been deeply moved by what he saw developing in Europe circa 1939 -- 20 years or so after the end of World War I and on the cusp of Hitler's invasions and the rise of other Fascist dictators -- to create such a masterpiece. As the frontispiece suggests, White well chose a story that's in Britain's psyche.
The humor also relieved some pretty horrible scenes, particularly in book 2 about Morgause. In our discussion, someone said they found the scene where the unicorn is butchered hard to read. Yes, but it's also one of the most realistic and vivid portrayals of efforts to make a good presentation of what is an essentially botched job (sin).
We agreed that one of the most beautiful sections is in the first book, when Wart is a goose. If ever humans could repudiate war and live like the birds in peace and equanimity, wouldn't life be good? White reminds us of the geese in the last chapter, as he returns to all his themes in a summation. Because of this, we used the last chapter as a jumping-off point for our discussion.
Why do men fight? "Was it the wicked leaders who led innocent populations to slaughter, or was it wicked populations who chose leaders after their own hearts?"
What will bring peace and justice? "Countries would have to become counties -- but counties which could keep their own culture and local laws. The imaginary lines on the earth's surface only needed to be unimagined." Only the return of our future king will make this real. This apparently was not a prospect that White intended his readers to expect.
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