Bailey Thomas

Gardner, 4th

English 10

19 Oct. 2016

Annotated Bibliographies for The Mists of Avalon

1. Rosenberg, Alysaa. Re-Reading Feminist Author Marion Zimmer Bradley in the Wake of Sexual

Assault Allegations. Washington Post, The Washington Post, 27 June 2014,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/06/27/re-reading-feminist-author-marion-zimmer-brad

ley-in-the-wake-of-sexual-assault-allegations/.

Rosenberg, a blogger for The Washington Post, brought forth a very difficult discussion of

Bradleys involvement in numerous sexual assaults. While providing significant sources and

information about Bradleys past, Rosenberg also gives examples of how the information on Bradley

affected some lines of the story. She quotes a scene in which Morgaine is sexually taken by Arthur,

and she comments on the effect it has in which we lose the reassurance that the author shares our

moral and ethical presumptions. However, she states that even with this new background on Bradley,

Rosenberg is surprised at how little the book felt changed toher.

With reading this article, the most prominent part of it was the very last line when Rosenberg

states how survivors can offer tremendous insight into pain and transcendence. But so can the people

who committed or facilitated depredations against them. This line brought forth clarity in how

Bradleys sickening past allowed her to portray these sexual scenes and the emotions of the characters

involved so realistically due to her own twisted experiences.

2. Quilligan, Maureen. Arthurs Sister's Story. New York Times, 1983

In Quilligans article she gave substantial insight into the history of The Mists of Avalon, by

Marion Zimmer Bradley. By providing information on the original Arthurian poem, Sir Gawain and

the Green Knight,she encompassed the idea and complexity presented in Bradleys retelling.

Throughout her article, she continued to compare the matriarchal point of view presented by Bradley

to the original legend and common retellings, most of which have a largely androcentric view.

Quilligan was very effective at providing a contrast to Avalons ideas and retelling. By comparing

its points of view to the common recountings, she provided clarity in how this book connects to

Medieval History. Additionally, by providing a summary and commentary on major aspects of the

book, she simplified complex events, which makes the unfurling of the plot much easier to

comprehend.

3. Vain, Madison. What We'Re (Re-)Reading Now: 'The Mists of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Entertainment Weekly's EW.com, Ew, 25 July 2014,

www.ew.com/article/2014/07/25/mists-of-avalon-marion-zimmer-bradley.

Madison Vain, a fan of fantasy and feminism, provided a very different idea concerning the

author of this book. In her article, she brings up the allegations of sexual assault against Bradley, and

where the romance scenes in Avalon were romantic and pertinent to the overall theme of a womans
 coming of age, it caused disturbance at how the author's own experiences can influence their book,

this time in an increasingly uncomfortable way. In Vains article, she also highlighted the feminist

feel and ideas shown in Avalon, despite the constant rebuttal from Bradley claiming it is not feminist

story, but an alternate point of view. A key point in this article was when Vain brought up the point of

the empowerment for women this book shows and how it is contradicted by Bradleys own sexual

degradation. Despite this, she projected her understanding that despite the downfall of Bradleys

history, Avalon is brilliant and is thoughtful, delicately constructed.

This article did not provide an additional understanding of the book, however; it did reveal dark

insight into who Bradley was behind the mirror of her novels. The contrast between Bradley and the

values and building-up of women shown in Avalon are very significant to how this book can be

interpreted, and it detracts from the power to women that Bradley inspired in her writing.

4. Bradley, Darin. The Magic Mundane. The Internet Review of Science Fiction, n/a, Feb. 2008,

www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10389.

D. Bradleys article focused largely on how M. Bradleys retelling of the Arthurian Legends

reflected not only medieval thought but also how her retelling specifically incorporated the ideas of

certain social groups- neo pagans and other feminist thinkers- and strongly appealed to them.

However, he criticizes the use of an Arthurian retelling for the purpose of feminist empowerment,

arguing that modern paganism has changed drastically and the relationship between paganism and

christianity has also shifted. He takes the magic in the story into a much more literal sense and

analyzes how it connects to the modern pagan religion. Additionally, he analyzes how the magic of

Avalon and The Sight affect the story; Avalons magic added to the theme of the onset of madness in
 its character whereas The Sight is a represntation of the characters understanding of reality and their

own illusions.

This article created a new sense of clarity and connected this book- a mythical, fantasy book with

aspects of medieval history- into our own modern world and to the religions from that era that still

prosper. D. Bradleys extensive repetition of the connection from reality to the fanatical allowed me to

view Avalon in a more realist, analytical way than before. By allowing this skill, I began to be able to

read each section in two ways: first as an embedded character engrossed in the story, and second as a

curious, modern learner.

5. Ford, David. King Arthur, The Myth. Britannia History, Britannia.com, 2007,

www.britannia.com/history/arthur/kamyth.html.

Fords article focused mainly on how King Arthur was a normal man but became a legend

incorporated in Celtic Mythology. The connections to Celtic Mythology are everywhere in Arthurs

history; in some stories, Arthur has been brought to Avalon, which was also the home to the Celtic

God. Additionally, Ford covers the origin of Arthurs name and how this plays a role in the building

of his legend. Revered as a Celtic Bear god, Ford found that Arthurs name derived from the Celtic

word art, meaning bear.

These connections to the mythological world and how Arthur came to be seen as a god rather than

a mere King connect strongly to the themes of religious influence. By reading this, the largest impact

it had on me was by allowing me to understand a small amount about the original legend. By opening

my understanding, it gave me a clearer basis to compare Avalon to, which let me see how Bradley

changed the story to project her ideals to her audience while also incorporating the key features of the
 story. This article also gave me the ability to see how the legend has been interpreted by many

different writers, historians, and readers, and how those different interpretations have led to diverse

opinions and retellings.

6. Thumma, Dawn. Mists of Avalon Reviewed. The Heretic Loremaster, n/a, 7 May 2009,

themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/05/the-mists-of-avalon-reviewed/.

Thummas criticism largely summarized the book, but also focused on the role of women in the

story. Avalon is a feminist story and took the perspective of the powerful women in the Arthurian Legend;

however, Thumma felt that the focus on feminism detracted from the book itself. Thumma also addresses

the theme of religion. Paganism was often depicted as the good religion, and Christianity was seen as a

patriarchal, damning religion. Thumma brought up that in many ways Paganism was as cruel as

Christianity because the Pagans in power used and manipulated many of the characters in the story.

Overall, Thummas review and stand on Avalon was helpful in questioning the book and getting

away from the mindset that Bradley forces onto the reader. In many ways, Bradley depicts the stories how

she feels them to be, but after reading this it was easier to form my own opinions of the characters and the

roles they played in the story. Additionally, it allowed me to see that using a strong core theme- in this

case feminism and matriarchy- is a very strong persuasion or empowerment technique for readers but it

can also detract from the books story and original history.