The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur

While some of the characters, like Collum, seek to find a king to replace Arthur, other characters seek to gain and exercise power themselves, such as Morgan and Lancelot. How do the characters differ in their conceptions of power? How does the text contrast just and unjust rule?

In many ways, The Bright Sword can be read as a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story. How does the novel chart Collum’s emotional and physical maturation? How does he change throughout his character arc?

In his Afterword, Grossman notes that his book is deliberately “full of a lot of authentic historical detail but also a lot of anachronisms and contradictions” (673). How does the novel blend historical fact with fiction and/or mix and match various competing traditions and eras?

Examine the novel’s treatment of Sir Dinadan. How is he characterized? How does his story contribute to the novel’s wider exploration of identity and belonging?

Storytelling is a major theme in the novel, with the text often examining how a story forms one’s perception of reality. How are stories used in different ways by the characters in the text?

Closely analyze Nimue’s and Morgan’s portrayals in the text. How are these two female characters different or similar to one another? How do their arcs illustrate the gender dynamics of the text?

Collum idealizes the Camelot of King Arthur, believing that it represents a lost golden age. However, the more he learns about it, the more it appears that Camelot may never have been quite as it seemed. How does The Bright Sword examine the nature of idealization and disillusionment?

Compare and contrast The Bright Sword with another modern adaptation of the Arthurian legends, such as T. H. White’s The Once and Future King (1958). How are the two texts different or similar in their treatment of the Arthurian legends? What key themes and ideas do they have in common?