A Harlot at Camelot : Female Power and Sexuality in The Mists of Avalon

Abstract: The Mists of Avalon is not the first contemporary novel written based on the tales of King Arthur. It is, however, the first best-selling story with solely female focalizers, which makes it a notable work. Drawing largely on Sir Thomas Malory’s work Le Morte D’Arthur, it tells the tale of Arthur’s rise and fall through the eyes of his sister Morgan le Fay – or Morgaine, as Bradley has chosen to call her. Making Morgan le Fay the main character and focalizer is an unusual move, since she, although she has been portrayed in several different ways throughout history, has always been seen through someone else’s eyes. In this regard, The Mists of Avalon turns the tables of the traditional narrative, and gives Morgan le Fay - or Morgaine - a personality, and makes her someone whose perspective the reader can understand and relate to.