d treat them as frail damsels in distress. Knightly adventures are drastically different between the novels. In Le Morte DArthur, the knightly adventures are shown as valiant pursuits of adventure, while in A Connecticut Yankee, the are shown as blind pursuits of transient fame. Magic and mystery are shown to be different between the novels through the character of Merlin. Merlin in Le Morte DArthur is shown to be a wise, sage minister of occult powers. In A Connecticut Yankee, Merlin is proved to be a foolish old man with no more powers than a normal person. In general, magic in Morte DArthur is also shown to be a power for the chosen few, which is in contrast to the idea in A Connecticut Yankee stating that magic is for the one who is the smartest and the most intellectually developed. Mystery is similar to magic in that there is no real mystery to the reader in A Connecticut Yankee because the Yankee proves all of it through science. Mystery is consistently present in the magic of Morte DArthur because the society is of homogeneous intelligence and development.In conclusion, comparing and contrasting two amazingly different pieces of literature on the Arthurian legend reveals that although the plot and characters may be unlike; most of the essential ideas of the legend are similar. Whether the writing has a serious factual tone, or a satirical humorous one, these novels are considered legends in their own time....
