Let's Take a Moment to Talk about Marion Zimmer Bradley
A Conversation Many Pagan Women Have Been Having in Recent Years
The Mists of Avalon is truly a wonderful work of art. It was so popular that it even sparked a miniseries. I've known women that named their daughters after the lead character because of how strong she is and how strong they wanted their daughters to be. A question that the truth of Bradley's sinister personal life brings up is this: In a time of boycotting abusers' works (because of the avalanche of victims stepping forward and naming them in the entertainment industry), how are we supposed to treat this piece of art that has been a staple in our library for decades?
One rule that everyone agrees on is that we can't cherry pick which victims to believe. I've had many conversations with groups of Pagan women on the topic of this book and its creator. No one that I've spoken to has ever questioned the validity of Bradley's daughter. As strong feminists, we know we have to band together and support all victims when they speak out. Her mother was long dead when she came forward, so what did she have to gain by speaking ill of her mother if it was false? Absolutely nothing.
The only place to go to next in the conversation is to look at how we've treated abusive artists in the past:
Roald Dahl was a racist, yet we're still turning his children's books into movies.Elvis was a sex symbol that preferred having sleepovers with 14-year-old girls. Frank Sinatra was an abusive alcoholic that once fired a gun at a mattress and threatened to kill himself if his wife left him. Charlie Chaplin liked having sex with teenage girls. Lewis Carroll has been noted as a pedophile. It has been speculated whether J.M. Barrie was also a pedophile. And finally, John Lennon would sing songs to the world about how all we need is love, then go home and mercilessly beat his wife, who he later abandoned along with his son.
This is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of rampant abuse and sexual predators throughout our entertainment history, yet this brief list of abusers have all created lasting works that are considered staples to literature and entertainment and love for their work goes unquestioned.
So, what's going on here? People are separating the art from the artist. The thing about all those people is that they're dead. They were awful, yes, but they can't hurt anyone anymore. Being a terrible person doesn't detract from the beauty of the art they create because, unlike the artists themselves, art is lasting. Yes, John Lennon was a piece of shit, but people can enjoy the music he left to the world while remaining guilt-free. Why is this, though? It's because a person cannot benefit from your money after they are dead. Another reason? It's in the past. The past is full of pain. Going forward, we can set new standards for what is and is not acceptable behavior. See, at the time they were alive, these artists were products of the society that they thrived in. Racism used to be okay. Having sex with teenagers used to be okay. Domestic abuse used to be okay. Have times changed? Absolutely. Has society changed? Absolutely, though some pockets still cling to the past a bit too favorably. These actions are not okay anymore because we have all learned from the mistakes of the past. There's a particular scene in Mists that I've heard discussed at length. It's a scene where a pubescent girl, representing young fertility, is given as a symbolic sacrifice in a ceremony and has questionably consensual sex with an older man. Since the news of Bradley's molestation of girls the same age as the nameless character in the scene, it has been viewed with more scrutiny. Personally, I always took it as a historical representation of how things once were. Child brides were once common practice in most societies. I never viewed this scene as being permissive towards having sex with children. I think that is also the way it needs to be viewed, as historical representation. The past is littered with uncomfortable situations. Talking about them doesn't make them more real, and ignoring them will never truly erase what happened because the past is best remembered by the victims. However, by talking openly about how things used to be, and why they needed to change, we create an atmosphere that allows victims to come forward and tell their story. That is how Bradley's daughter was able to come forward. Had she told her story in 2004 instead of 2014, she could have been met with a very different outcome.
Now what? Well, I need to mention that after Bradley's daughter went public, she received support from Janni Lee Simner, an author that found success on a platform created by Bradley, and who also still writes in Bradley's Darkover series. Simner decided to donate money she gained from Bradley's platform to charity.
So, should you feel guilt over this book? I don't think you should, but ultimately that is your decision. She's dead. She died 19 years ago. She did some terrible things, but she's dead. She will have no new victims. We can create an atmosphere of compassion for victims and hold people to better standards now and in the future, but we should not feel guilt over other's atrocities. Buying her book was not giving her permission to be a terrible person, nor did it give her the means to be terrible. It would be silly to boycott her books because she's not alive to make apologies, to care what other's think of her, or to care how her actions impacted others. However, if you're still uncomfortable with the book, there are a plethora of amazing feminist and pagan authors out there that have created wonderful books. I adore Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series. (Highly erotic, yet plenty of story line and character growth.The sex is a bonus.) Anne McCaffrey has been touted as one of the grandmothers of the fantasy genre. Mercedes Lackey is strongly feminist in her fiction works. That's just a starting point.
If you feel uncomfortable with a once-favorite because of the actions of its creator, dig into the reasons why. I can tell you that your love of the books by Marion Zimmer Bradley do not make you guilty by association. If you are comfortable reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Alice in Wonderland, or Peter Pan, then there's no reason you should be uncomfortable reading The Mists of Avalon. However, some time may be needed before you pick it up again. Time heals all wounds. It doesn't erase the actions that created the wounds, but it can heal the pains if given the opportunity.
Personally, I think this time of inner turmoil felt by so many women is the perfect time to read it again. Look at it with a new perspective. Being uncomfortable is how we create positive change. Buying the book puts no new money into Bradley's pocket, but there are always libraries and secondhand bookstores if you can't bring yourself to fork over the cash for it. In reading it again, you may find new things about the book you never noticed before. I know I've been staring at my first edition copy of it for some time now. I'm ready to go through it again with new eyes.
About the Creator
Diane Nivens
Just trying to find my place in this big world. I've got a lot to say if you've got the time to listen.
Twitter: @DianeNivens87
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