He enjoys, however, a more realistic and ultimately more gratifying resolution of his oedipal conflict. In the Adventures of Sir Galalad of King Arthur s Court, Dr. Gardner has taken some well-known themes from Arthurian legend and modified them in ways that are much more salutary. The issues of magic acquisition of power and blind fealty are especially foc used upon. The occasional wish that one would have been born somewhere else or have been someone else is probably universal. In The Prince and the Poor Boy such a wish is gratified, but with some significant variations from the traditional tale in which t he pauper and the prince gratify their wishes for such a transformation.
T hroughout all of the stories the rich imagery of the fairy tale motif is preserved.
And the warm illustrations of Alfred Lowenheim add immeasurably to the attraction of the stories. Dr. Gardner s Modern Fairy Tales BK12, Hrdcvr, Illust.