Le Morte Darthur

This edition of Le Morte Darthur offers an authentic reading experience, featuring original spelling, critical annotations, and a focus on the Winchester Manuscript's structure.

The Le Morte Darthur text is presented in an unabridged format, maintaining original spelling while providing extensive, user-friendly marginal glosses and footnotes. This edition stands out as it accurately reflects the divisions of the text as indicated by its two surviving witnesses: Caxton’s 1485 print and the renowned Winchester Manuscript. Scholars generally regard the Winchester Manuscript as the more authentic of the two sources, making this edition particularly valuable for readers seeking an accurate representation of Malory's work.

This Norton Critical Edition is groundbreaking as it recovers vital elements from the Winchester Manuscript, including paragraphing, marginal annotations, and hierarchies of narrative division, which are indicated by variations in size and decorative complexity of initial capitals and font changes. By incorporating these features, the edition offers a richer understanding of the text's structure and the author's intent.

Additionally, the Norton Critical Edition showcases the striking rubrication of proper names in black-letter font, allowing readers to experience a glimpse of an authentic medieval reading experience. This visual element enhances the appreciation of Malory’s remarkable portrayal of the chivalric ideal through character and setting. No other student edition of Malory provides such comprehensive contextual and critical support, making the Le Morte Darthur an essential resource for both scholars and students alike.