The Mists of Avalon is an intimidating book to look at. It is 876 large pages of very small print. Then once you begin to dig into the book, it becomes somewhat more daunting. This is because The Mists of Avalon is a retelling of the Legend of King Arthur, except with a small twist. This time, author Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote the book from the perspective of the females in the legend. Characters like Igraine, Viviane, and Morgaine take the main stage. The Arthurian Legend has a very big place in the history and lore of Britain and to read through any variant of it is quite an undertaking.
Now, because the book is Arthurian Legend, Zimmer Bradley chose to write it in a somewhat archaic version of English. That isn’t to say that there are “thee”s and “thou”s thrown in there, and verbs aren’t ending in “-eth”. But, the sentences are much longer than the English we write in today. Also, the writing employs archaic syntax in its sentences, for instance Viviane when talking to Morgaine says, “I doubt not that the Saxons find them four times as fearsome when they fight side by side.” It’s the little details like putting the “doubt” before the not and using words like “Saxons” and “fearsome” that give this book the “old-timey” and adventurous feel of an epic novel.
Contained within the masterful writing of Zimmer Bradley is an incredibly unique story. As I said earlier, it is the Arthurian Legend, but from a feminine point of view, and as far as I am aware, this is the first and really only story to have done so. In the Legend, the female characters are often cast aside. Igraine is merely the wife of Gorlois then Uther and father to Arthur. Viviane and Morgaine le Fay (of the Faeries) are sorceresses and a constant thorn in the side of the men. Uther, Lancelot, Arthur and the other paladins usually take center stage, but no more in this retelling.
The women in this book are heroes, but not necessarily heroes in the same sense that the men are commonly portrayed as. Instead of being valiant warriors and brave leaders, Zimmer Bradley makes them more subjects of Fate. She presents the women with incredibly difficult tasks, and has them follow through with their sense of duty, instead of a sense of self. So even though what the women are doing might be irksome to the men, it really is all for the good of Britain and of Avalon.
It’s a very interesting and new portrayal of heroism to me and I’m curious to see how Marion Zimmer Bradley utilizes and expands on this theme.
Nolan Schad 