The Mists of Avalon is one of the more creative retellings of the Arthurian tales, introducing two great innovations. The first was telling the story The Mists of Avalon is one of the more creative retellings of the Arthurian tales, introducing two great innovations. The first was telling the story from the female perspective. Igraine (Arthur’s mother) Viviane (The Lady of the Lake) Morgaine (Morgan le Fay) and Gwenhwyfar (Queen Guinevere) become the focus of the story, giving their own context and perspective to the familiar tales, utterly reshaping them. Igraine and The Lady of the Lake were mere ciphers in the traditional tales, there only to advance Arthur’s story, then off stage without any further consideration. Morgan le Fay had a larger role, as villainess and femme fatale, but without any real explanation of her motivations or the roots of her conflict with Arthur — she was a female heavy without any explanation given. Bradley changed all of this, reshaping the tales to let these neglected females tell their stories.
Which brings us to the book’s second innovation. Bradley introduced the idea of a surviving British Paganism in conflict with the new Christian faith. Viviane, The Lady of the Lake is the high priestess of this ancient cult. Igraine is her sister, doing her bidding by bringing a prophesied hero king into the world. Morgaine is Viviane’s heir, becoming The Lady, high priestess after her. The conflict which arises between Morgaine and Arthur’s Court is explain as the opposition of the high priestess of the Old Faith when Arthur forsakes its ways in favor of the exclusive support demanded by the New Faith. With this innovation, the roles of all the females makes sense, and a whole different spin is given to the familiar old cycle.
It’s because of these brilliant innovations that I’m giving The Mist of Avalon three stars. They make it worth your while to consider reading it. Unfortunately, I discovered upon this attempt to reread it after four decades that the writing is ponderous and turgid. I reread about a quarter of this long book, completing its first major section, The Mistress of Magic, only to find that the pacing remained molasses slow all the way through. I ran out of patience and abandoned my reread. While I admire the brilliance of this creative reimagining of the tales, I can’t say the same for the writing....more
I was excited to begin a reread of The Mists of Avalon, which I last read some forty years ago. It impressed me at that time. I found the inclusion ofI was excited to begin a reread of The Mists of Avalon, which I last read some forty years ago. It impressed me at that time. I found the inclusion of a surviving British Paganism within the Arthurian tales fascinating, setting up a clash between the Old Ways and the new Christian faith as a major plot point. Telling the tale from the perspectives of the story’s female characters was also a great innovation. These are the memories that remained after four decades.
The Mist of Avalon was broken up into four audio books, the first of which is this one, Mistress of Magic. My reread will stop here. While I remembered the book’s innovations, I had forgotten the molasses slow pacing, the ponderous passages, the often turgid prose. I’m assuming that the story picks up somewhat as it goes along, but after wading through thirteen hours of this first of four audio books, I’ve run out of patience to continue....more
From the moment the hulking Green Knight rides into King Arthur’s Christmas banquet hall, axe in one hand, holly bough in the other, this tale has an From the moment the hulking Green Knight rides into King Arthur’s Christmas banquet hall, axe in one hand, holly bough in the other, this tale has an eldritch, fey feeling — a haunting sense of otherworldliness. That haunted atmosphere is perfectly captured in Simon Armitage’s brilliant translation (from the original Middle English) of this late 14th century English poem. Armitage’s beautiful, descriptive poetry weaves a trance-like spell around this weird wonder tale that is far more powerful and evocative than the scholarly Tolkien translation that I read some forty years ago.
As for the tale, you could analyze it, attempt to delve its meaning and moral to its original 14th century audience. You could try to unweave its separate elements — Christian mythology, Welsh, Irish, and English folktales, pagan roots, French chivalric tradition. You could break it down using a modern feminist perspective, critiquing the trope of woman as temptress and the conniving Morgan le Fay as femme fatale villain. Or, like me, you could immerse yourself in this wonderfully weird and strange tale of quests, magic and illusion. ...more
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