Elements of the Arthurian Cycle in the works of Walter Van Tilburg Clark

Walter Van Tilburg Clark, prior to his success as a popular writer, wrote as his first M.A. thesis a redaction of the legend of Tristram, one of the tales commonly associated with the works composing the Arthurian Cycle. In his thesis, Clark demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Arthurian legends, a knowledge which manifests itself in two of his novels, The Ox-Bow Incident and The Track of the Cat. Tracing these echoes through the two novels reveals that the archetypal relationship to the Arthurian legends strengthens the thematic and character development in each novel and gives Clark's work a more universal appeal.