Belen Altamirano

Mrs. Gardner

English 10H

11 October 2016

The hidden secrets of The Mists of Avalon

Literature, ProQuest, 2006,

Bradley, Marion Zimmer. ProQuest Learning:

literature.proquestlearning.com/critref/displayitembyid.do?querytype=reference&forauthor=5434&backto=

author%20page&itemid=bio5434%20pqllit_ref_lib.

This article not only talks about who she is as a person, but it also delves into who she is as a writer. It also

reveals how her life and personality are portrayed through her works. At the beginning with see some

background on Marion Zimmer Bradley like her family, education and career; however, as the article

progresses it goes more into depth of who she is as a person and how the fact that she is able to express

herself in her writing so honestly has made her such a successful writer.

This article gives the reader a better understanding of who Marion Zimmer Bradley is a person which helps

them better comprehend who she is as a writer. Even though it gives very useful information, family,

education, career, etc., it does goes quite off topic in the middle of the article by talking about her books

and writing instead of her. The reader is able to get a better understanding of her books; however, that is not

the point of this article, it is meant to inform the reader about the author not the stories. This may not be the

best article for someone who just wants information about Marion Zimmer Bradley, but overall this is a

informative article for anyone wanting to find out more about not only the author but also her writing.

D'Ammassa, Don. The Avalon Series. Infobase Learning - Login, Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror

Fiction., 1982, www.fofweb.com/lit/default.asp.

 Don D'Ammassa reveals how Marion Zimmer Bradley was able to make The Mist of Avalon her own by

writing from the point of view of women while still staying true to the Arthurian theme. Despite all the

challenges she had to face when writing the book, such as having to express the power and importance of

women while still staying true to the story, she was able to succeed and it showed when her book became a

bestseller. The article reveals how despite the fact that she went through with the Arthurian theme, she did

change the story quite a bit; it was no longer the Arthurian story everyone knew instead it was her own

creation. Her unique twists made the story lose its original purpose in a way but it also gave birth to

something new in which women were also portraying with importance.

This article is short and to the point when it talks about how Marion Zimmer Bradley introduced new

themes into her novel such as the importance of women and feminism. It gives the reader a new

understanding about the novel because they now have a better idea of what the purpose of having those

themes in the story is and also a better understanding on what it symbolizes for the novel to be written for

the perspective of women. Don D'Ammassa brings to light the significance of the importance of women in

The Mist of Avalon while granting the reader a new perspective on Marion Zimmer Bradleys writing.

Diamond, Marie Josephine. Feminism. Bloom's Literature, Encyclopedia of World Writers, 1800 to the Present.

Spacer, 2011, www.fofweb.com/lit/default.asp

Marie Josephine Diamonds article gives the reader a new and clear understanding on what feminism really

is. Through her article she portrays how important women's rights are, as well as gives the reader a better

understanding of the topic through her information and examples relating to feminism.

Marie Josephine comments on a theme that is portrayed through many of Marion Zimmer Bradleys
 writings feminism. This article is very insightful because it doesnt just state what feminism is, but is

goes that extra step to give the reader a better understand about the topic and its importance; however, the

fact that Marie Josephine put in so many examples and so much information about the topic made it sound

all over the place at times. In the end the reader is able to gain a new perspective on feminism, as well as a

better understanding of Marion Zimmer Bradleys works by being able to understand how much she values

the importance of women not only in real life but in her writing as well.

Mote, Dave, editor. Marion Zimmer Bradley. Literature Resource Center, St. James Press, 1997,

go.galegroup.com.proxy.sonomalibrary.org/ps/retrieve.do?tabid=t002&resultlisttype=result_list&searchres

ultstype=singletab&searchtype=basicsearchformtposition=1&docid=gale%7ck1632000023&doctype=bio

graphy&sort=relevance&contentsegment=&prodid=litrc&contentset=gale%7ck1632000023&searchid=r1

&

usergroupname=sant95918&inps=true&u=sant95918&authcount=1.

Marion Zimmer Bradley, an American writer, was born on June 3, 1930. This article goes further into who

Marion Zimmer Bradley is both as a person and a writer by using her diverse works to portray the many

sides of her personality. Throughout her life she has written many books, one of them being The Mists of

Avalon, a bestseller, that has captivated the hearts of many people over the years. This article also captures

a few of Bradleys constant themes throughout her books; one of them being strong independent women

and how they too reveal even more about this author; by portraying her feminist side though The Mists of

Avalon, and her adventurous side though her Darkover series the article gives the reader a clear

understanding on Marion Zimmer Bradley.

This article is not only insightful, but it also introduces many new points of view on Marion Zimmer

Bradley. Not only does this article talk about who she is as a person but also as a writer by giving facts like
 how she studied in a New York State College for Teachers and by revealing her talents by showing how

she won the Locus Award. It is an ideal resource for anyone wanting to know more information about her.

Through its depth and understanding about the author, the reader is able to gain their own understanding

about the Marion Zimmer Bradley as a person and an author.

Ostman, Heather. The Mists of Avalon. Bloom's Literature, Facts On File Companion to the American Novel.,

2006,www.fofweb.com/lit/lowerframe.asp?itemid=we54&wid=103186&sid=5&ipin=canov0629&singlerec

ord=true.

Heather Ostman interprets how Marion Zimmer Bradley portrayed the story through the eyes of women, as

well as reveals the true conflicts and impacts women faced in such a patriarchal world.

ReligionsChristianity and Goddess-centered druidismwere in a constant battle and in the process dragged

the women into their chaos filling their worlds with confusion and hardships, for religion decided their

position (power) within society as well as manipulated their actions. In this story women play a much

greater role than what first meets the eye, for example, The women characters, particularly Igraine,

Morgaine, and Gwenhwyfar, embody the dualities that arise in the novel (Ostman). Ostman illustrates the

true meaning of what being a woman truly meant as he portrays their agitation, authority, and acceptance,

not only towards others, but also towards themselves.

Ostman is very insightful when it comes to portraying the difficulties that women faced, however she gets

so involved in the women that she fails to mention anyone else in great detail. Despite this minor flaw she

is able to capture the essence of the story and the role women played in it with such authority and security

that it leaves no doubt that women were the most important, and had the biggest impact, in Arthurs world.

The article is frank and to the point when it comes to portraying the true struggle the women in Arthurs life

faced; they had to choose between their own wishes and their duty, while trying not to lose their power and
 themselves.

Stypczynski, Brent. Rewriting the Women of Camelot: Arthurian Popular Fiction and Feminism.

ProQuest, Extrapolation. Kent: Winter 2002. Vol. 43, Iss. 4; Pg. 471, 2002,

literature.proquest.com/searchfulltext.do?id=r04416920&divlevel=0&queryid=2956990167745&trailid=15

7a2add427&area=criticism&forward=critref_ft.

This article, written by Brent Stypczynski, reveals some of the themes portrayed throughout Arthurian

stories; one of the most common themes is the importance of women. This article hits many different

stories written from many different authors with their own perspectives and ideas; he uses all these sources

to give the reader a better understanding about the topics, as well as keeps the article interesting by being so

diverse yet unified. This article grasps many different themes, feminism, romance, the importance of

women, and yet is able to blend them all in to make something whole and meaningful for the reader.

Even though this article gives the reader so much information about some of the most common themes

portrayed through these arthurian writings, it is not very useful in terms of going in depth. It states a bunch

of themesone of them being feminism yet is does not delve into them to find any further meaning or to

give the reader a clearer understanding on the purpose of those themes. It is very useful when it comes to

giving the reader a better understanding of Marion Zimmer Bradleys book, The Mists of Avalon, because

the reader is more aware of the themes portray through the story. Even though this article is all over the

place, it introduces many new themes which ignite awareness in the reader of all the diversity there is

he Mists of Avalon.
throughout the novels including T