This is the last of William Morris’s stories in The Oxford and Cambridge Magazine, and one of several with a medieval setting. This fairly
conventional story features a knight’s tournament and a castle
siege.
The most notable feature of this story is the first-person narrator, who is
killed in the final scene. Lines earlier in the story — such as
“not while I was in the body at least” (735)
— prepare the reader for this ending. The narration from beyond
the grave adds a supernatural element to this otherwise straightforward
tale, and links it to Morris’s first story in the Magazine, The Story of the Unknown Church, which
employs a similar narrative trope.
This collection contains 1 text or image, including:
The Oxford and Cambridge Magazine text
Scholarly Commentary
Guest Editor: PC Fleming
Introduction
This is the last of William Morris’s stories in The Oxford and Cambridge Magazine, and one of several with a medieval setting. This fairly conventional story features a knight’s tournament and a castle siege.
The most notable feature of this story is the first-person narrator, who is killed in the final scene. Lines earlier in the story — such as “not while I was in the body at least” (735) — prepare the reader for this ending. The narration from beyond the grave adds a supernatural element to this otherwise straightforward tale, and links it to Morris’s first story in the Magazine, The Story of the Unknown Church, which employs a similar narrative trope.
Printing History
First printed in The Oxford and Cambridge Magazine , December, 1856.