I am Morgan le Fay
It has taken me quite some time to get around to reviewing this book, and it isn’t because I haven’t had time. (Okay, that’s part of it, but not the main reason.) I simply can’t decide if I liked it. That seems to be the norm lately, so I don’t know if it’s a phase I’m going through or if I just happened to choose a lot of somewhat questionable books all in a row.
So, I’ve decided to take a different approach. Rather than waffling about whether or not I want to recommend the book, I’ll just write about what I liked and what I didn’t like.
Liked: As a moderate feminist, I love that this book focuses on one of the women of Arthurian legend. In the traditional tales, the women get such short shrift; they are rather shallow characters that are more symbolic than anything else. In modern retellings, however, these women are much more developed and often take a much more active role in the tales. I like that. I like that women are reinvisioning these stories from a female perspective, imagining the woman’s experience. More specifically, I like that Nancy Springer is imagining what happened to Morgan le Fay to make her who she was later on in Arthurian legend.
Disliked: I’m a little disturbed by the contemporary fascination with the occult that clearly shows through in this novel. While magic in a fantasy novel never bothers me (loved Lord of the Rings, and even enjoyed the controversial Harry Potter), some novels go beyond fantasy magic and into the realm of real witchcraft. I’m not talking about spells so much as I’m talking about the human attempt to become godlike…a desire to have power over nature and human will, the pursuit of control and power over others.
This is the same issue I had with The Mists of Avalon
On a slight side note, it wasn’t until I read The Mists of Avalon that I really understood I Samuel 15: 23 where it says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (KJV). That never really made sense to me–how could rebellion and witchcraft be anything alike? It wasn’t until I read Bradley’s novel that I realized that the main premise of witchcraft is that an individual can control another’s will. In rebellion, I try to take my life and destiny out of God’s hands and into my own; in witchcraft, I try to take another’s life and destiny out of God’s hands and into my own. In either case, I am trying to take the place of God. The rest of the verse in I Samuel goes on to say, “and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou has rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” The entire verse, thus, is about rejecting God and setting oneself up as one’s own god.
All that to say, I think many of the fantasy books I have read take a much more innocent approach to magic. They operate under the concept that there is a power beyond the natural world, that there are laws which supersede the physical laws of this universe–a concept which I also operate under as a Christian. I have no problem with that, and so you will often find me recommending books that speak of “magic”.
I do have a problem with novels such as Springer’s and Bradley’s that actively advocate the overthrow of God in our lives. I don’t like that they push a philosophy that not only runs counter to everything I know as a Christian, but also to my American sensibilities of individual rights and personal freedom.
April 17, 2007
Posted in: fantasy, fiction, historical fiction
2 Responses
That was really fascinating. I haven’t read that verse in a long while, and I can’t say it ever stood out to me. But that’s an extremely illuminating argument about the nature of witchcraft. The oldest sin in the world – trying to be like God. Good review!
And I don’t think it’s just a phase you’re in; I think it is the books you happen to have been reading lately. Maybe you need something you’re a little more confident about.
I think you’re right. If I want a more decisive review, I need to start with a book that I know I’ll like. Towards that end, I’ve just pulled Through Gates of Splendor off my shelf and made it my purse book.
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