Reread: The Mists of Avalon

 I don't remember when I first read The Mists of Avalon --- given the publication date it must have been in college or between high school and college. I was inspired to read it after watching the Great Courses series on King Arthur. 

The book is often called a feminist retelling of the King Arthur legend. All the point of view characters are women --- Igraine - Arthur's mother, Morgan Le Fay - Arthur's half-sister, Gwenhwyfar, his wife, Viviane (the lady of the lake), and Morgause, Arthur's aunt. The primary struggle of the book is between the old religion (the Celtic Druidic religion) and Christianity --- the Christians are portrayed as bigoted and evangelical, trying to convert everyone and refusing to acknowledge or recognize other religions (sounds familiar? I spent my 1-12 grades in a Methodist Mission school and definitely got way too much overdose of hellfire and damnation, along with the usual Christian tirades against D&D, Star Wars, and Zen Buddhism --- the Buddhists are the least offensive religion on the planet, hearing the Evangelicals rail against them was definitely a big turnoff).

All the elements in the legend are there, frequently with twists. For instance, Merlin, rather than being a single person, is portrayed as being a title for the Chief Druid. Lancelet's Celtic name was Galahad. Having the Lady of the Lake as a real life person (it's also a title), is unique and having her being the person (along with Taliesin --- the Merlin of England at the start of the novel) plotting to bind Arthur to the old religion drives the plot along without having it deviate too much from the familiar legends.

When I first read the book so many years ago, it was clear to me that Morgaine (Morgan Le Fay) was the heroine. On the second reading, however, I had to realize that she was a heroine with feet of clay --- frequently she wouldn't have the courage to follow through with what she wanted to do, and ran away from her responsibilities. Of course, not everything was her fault --- it was clear that Viviane was not the kind of person to explain to anyone else what she was plotting or why other people should do as they're told.

This book doesn't shy away from all the salacious details of the Arthur legend. All the scandal is there --- the incest between Morgaine and Arthur, and there's even a threesome between Arthur, Gwenhywfar, and Lancelet (Lancelot). I don't remember that at all, indicating that the first time I read the book that scene completely went over my head. I guess now I don't feel bad about reading non-age-appropriate stuff to my own kids.

The writing style is a big long winded, but each of the character's voices are unique and distinctive. Even the annoying characters like Gwnhwyfar are given sympathetic treatment in the end. If you've never read this book, you should. Highly recommended.