![]() ![]() ![]() I imagine Mary Stewart had them to an even greater degree. I admit this because it shows that even now I have these prejudices imbedded in my psyche. Throughout the sections on battles and skirmishes (which are many), I kept thinking this exact thought: "for a woman, she's strangely interested in the details of war". ![]() I looked, in Mary Stewart's afterword, for some kind of explanation of this betrayal, but I was even more disappointed by her admission that though the work was inspired by fact, she makes it apologetically clear (in a scholarly sort of humility), that it is purely a work of fiction and in terms of the character of Merlin- fantasy.Ī terrible thing to admit is also something useful in looking at my adult reaction to this book. Not to go too far down that path, but it's a shame when a book gives you such magic as a child and is laid bare in a more disappointing way when you grow up. Unfortunately, I have to now temper that literal reading with things I am aware of now- that all the women in this book, with no exception- fall into one of three roles: martyr, slut, or witch. I remembered this book with a mystical fondness because I remember absolutely identifying with the character of Merlin and cast myself in the role of boy adventurer. When I was a girl I was lucky enough to be a tomboy and have male figures in my life who taught me the things I would later realize were traditionally "guy stuff". I actually read this book first when I was 11 or 12 and would have rated it a 5 with that self. ![]()
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