Look at me, being all good about my New Year Literary Resolutions! We’re only half-way through the year and I’ve already re-read more books than in 2011. I decided to try The Mists of Avalon in audiobook format because it’s narrated by the divine Davina Porter, who in my humble opinion can do no wrong.
I won’t do a full review of the book, but will just record for posterity the major differences between my two reading experiences. I think they says a lot about my 17- and 32-year-old selves.
The biggest change was how I felt towards Morgaine. She’s still awesome, a perfectly fleshed-out character that you really get to know and admire for her courage and self-reliance. But while at 17 I completely identified with her – I wanted to be her – now I often wished she would just lighten up a bit.
Look, I get it, she’s in love with someone who’ll never love her back, and her way of life is dying before her helpless eyes, I see how that makes a person cranky. But at the same time I wish she would, just once in while, let go of the aura of pathos she carries around all the time and laugh like she means it. I think my reaction to Morgaine is part of my growing intolerance of depressing books and movies I mentioned here before.
On the other hand, my feelings towards Guinevere haven’t changed. She’s the same little angry ball of resentment and unhappiness. But despite this, Marion Zimmer Bradley still made me understand her motivations, even when I resisted it and was determined to completely hate the annoying hypocrite.
Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, July 2011. In The Mists of Avalon, this is where Morgaine is born.
Arthur jumped out of the pages this time. We only follow the story thought the eyes of the female characters, but still get more insight into the mind of Lancelot or Uther than that of Arthur, who’s the story’s whole reason of existence. Still, what we do get to know about him is surprising.
In a book famous for having no black or white characters, Arthur is, amazingly, a Good Man. He’s honorable, faithful, fair, he understands the complex world he lives in and the impossibility to please all, but he still tries. He always seems to see the glass half-full, unlike most of the other characters in the book. But despite all this and the freaky “love-square” with Guinevere, Lancelot and Morgaine, there’s never one person who thinks of him as The One, and that’s terribly sad.
Other things I noticed now and I didn’t before: the patterns, balance and irony. For instance, Morgause and Vivienne want daughters and only have sons, Guinevere longs in vain for an heir to Camelot, Morgaine doesn’t want a child and has one. Guinevere, the greatest catholic Queen, is in love with a pagan. In her later days she envies Morgaine’s knowledge and freedom but is on a quest to destroy the traditions that allow them. The search for the Holy Grail is what speeds the fall of Camelot and its (Christian) ideals. It was Avalon’s tolerance of the early Priests that kick-started their towards the Mists. Everyone loves Arthur, but no one is ever truly in love with him.
This time around I could also appreciate much more the religious discussions. Before I just though of how cool Wicca must be, now I look at the story as a cycle. Just as Avalon supplanted the Old Ones, so did Christianity supplant Avalon and so will something else supplant Christianity.
The general feeling I’ll take from this re-reading is of a story about the rise and fall of Camelot. The Utopian Kingdom is destroyed by intolerance, giving way to the Dark Ages and its impact on knowledge, equality (especially gender equality) and freedom. It’s a much more melancholic story than I remembered.
Still, I look forward to a re-read in another 15 years – who knows what I’ll discover then?
***
Other thoughts: Speculative Book Review, Books for Breakfast Drinks for Dinner, My Two Blessings, Reading with Tequila, Age 30+… A Lifetime of Books, Bogormen, Bonnie’s Books (yours?)
14 comments
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July 12, 2012 at 5:39 pm
sakura
That’s such an interesting way to look at a re-read. I too read this a long time ago and reading your I post, I feel I’ve actually forgotten most of the story. But I do remember what a big impact it had on me and fuelled my love for Arthurian and grail literature.
July 12, 2012 at 6:41 pm
JaneGS
This is why I love rereading so much–we change from decade to decade, and it’s fascinating to see how perspective changes or deepens with regards that stories that worked when we were young.
I liked your thoughts about Arthur–his is a sad story and I agree that Mists of Avalon is a melancholy story.
Great post!
July 12, 2012 at 7:15 pm
Melissa
Like you, I’ve put an emphasis on re-reading this year and I’ve been interested to see how my reactions to certain books have changed. I do feel like I’m relativing to different characters and I’ve become frustrated with others. It’s such a fascinating expereince. We see the changes in ourselves reflected back to us in the books we’re reading.
July 12, 2012 at 8:05 pm
lizzysiddal
Now I must get me a hold of this audio book … Read this is my early twenties and would love to revisit. As for people not being in love with Arthur, I am. Fell in love with him via T S White’s The Once and Future King … must revisit that also sometime.
July 16, 2012 at 9:16 pm
Larissa
Very interesting review. I wonder how I would re-read it now, this being one of my favorite books. I love how it’s looking at this story through the lives of the female characters. So rare, so interesting, how they actually (maybe) influenced all this in huge ways. And I always was fascinated by this take on the religious side of it.
I discovered the story through the TV movie made out of it, then read it in the French translation, and re-read it a few years ago in English. Next time I guess I should try the audiobook version since you say it’s good…
July 17, 2012 at 5:43 pm
cbjames
I know much about this book, though I’ve not read it, since so many people love it and discuss it. I enjoyed this post very much. What you’ve really done here is explain the benefits of re-reading. So many people never re-read the books they love; I think they’re missing out on something profound.
July 18, 2012 at 4:33 pm
gaskella
I’m going to have to re-read it. It was a favourite book in my 20s when I first read it and I thought it was so cool to have a female perspective on the whole Arthurian myth.
July 19, 2012 at 12:47 am
anna cowan
I read the first two thirds of this book when I was 12 (heh), but gave up because it was depressing me so much. (This, incidentally, is why I fully believe kids self-censor when they read.) I read it again in full when I was 16. Might be time for another re-read! Although I’m still not sure my nerves can take all the tragedy…
July 22, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Falaise
I’ve not read this as I came to Arthur through the TH White cycle that Lizzy mentioned and also through Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. We’ve just got back from a few days in Padstow, only a short drive from TIntagel, which I loved visiting as a kid.
July 23, 2012 at 2:43 pm
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July 23, 2012 at 4:59 pm
joannacreates
I’m taking this on holiday with me, can’t wait!
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