Initially the Vinaver theory that Malory's eight
romances, once thought to be fundamentally unified.
were in fact eight independent works produced both a
sense of relief and an unpleasant shock. Vinaver's
theory comfortably explained away the apparent
contradictions of chronology and made each romance
independently satisfying. It was, however, disagreeable
to find that what had been thought of as one book was
now eight books. Part of this response was the natural
reaction to the disturbance of set ideas. Nevertheless,
even now, after lengthy consideration of the theory's
refined but legitimate observations, one cannot avoid
the conclusion that the eight romances are only one
work. It is not quite a matter of disagreeing with the
theory of independence, but of rejecting its implications:
that the romances may be taken in any or no particular
order, that they have no cumulative effect, and that they
are as separate as the works of a modern novelist.