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In this short course learners will explore some of the most beautiful and evocative prose of the Middle English period, in Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. We will focus closely on the final tales, which tell of the downfall of the Round Table, and look in some detail at the characters and events implicated in the fall. We will focus both on the language of the text and the wider reach of the narrative, as it explores the tragedy of Arthur and his kingdom, in a work which has been called the first English novel. We will also try to include some comparison with passages from one of Malory’s English sources, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, to give us some insights into how Malory used his source material. As this is a short course, we will use extracts for close analysis, and through discussion will hope to gain a deeper understanding of the factors involved in creating the ending of this extensive work.