Article
French
ID: <
oai:doaj.org/article:8f1315e672cf469db5b8d13a82972ff1>
·
DOI: <
10.4000/itineraires.10285>
Abstract
The Mists of Avalon, published by Marion Zimmer Bradley in 1982, is an original rewriting of the Arthurian myth which has sometimes been described as feminist, even ecofeminist. The novel shows the seemingly inevitable collapse of a pagan model of society, and its consequences for women as well as for the entire territory. As Morgaine, a new variation on the character of Morgan le Fay, asserts on the very first page: “the world itself has changed.” This paper examines the convergences between fantasy literature, ecofeminist movements and the neo-pagan spiritualities of the second half of the twentieth century. In doing so, it explores the conflicting dynamics that permeate the novel which at once rewrites a male myth, reinvents a female past, and renews patriarchal patterns.