I have never read King Arthur, but rather in 6th grade i decided to read Once and Future King. It was very good, but as u have stated, it does not clarify as to whether Arthur actually existed.
Also, I found the TV miniseries, "Merlin" (i believe that was what it was called) very interesting, regarding Morgan Le Fay and Mordred. Of course, the memory of it is a bit cloudy, I saw it about 4 years ago..
THE MISTS OF AVALON!!! one of the best books I've EVER read!
Ah, I loved that. ^_^
Very good book, though I have never been able to find the second one : Beyond the Mists of Avalon. Has anyone read Priestess of Avalon? I am still reading it, and I think it is good so far.
Mists of Avalon IS the best! isn't that funny? it's from a pagan point of view (mostly) but the Arthurian ledgends were mostly Christian and paganism was viewed as the enemy! Before I read Mists of Avalon, everything I had heard so far portrayed Morgaine as a bad person! *evil priestess* twisted but in Mists of Avalon she's the character you (or at least I) sympathize the most with.
(and I hate Gwenhyfar in Mists of Avalon. She's a Christian wimp)