The Once and Future Queen
Page 19
Sex is definitely an area where this Guinevere is different from her previous incarnations, who were exhorted to be chaste and then castigated when they failed. “Whereas romance is an Arthurian fascination that has persisted from medieval writings, sex and sexuality, especially women’s, has been given little positive attention in Arthurian literature…to describe even the most sexually active Arthurian woman as ‘sexually liberated’ would be shallow…[because] it [must] include the freedom to reject or enter into sexual relationships fearing neither exploitation nor punishment,”541 writes Cooley.
This comment highlights the very idea Collins sought to change. Her Guinevere certainly is given a reason for being as sex-positive as she is. In the Breton society of Collins’ creation, women are warriors and they have a strong voice in the family and society. This is what Guinevere is used to; she is the one with the power. Then all of sudden, she is forced into the British world in which women are treated like brood-mares and slaves, quite a shock to her independent system. Luckily, in Arthur, she finds a man who loves her for her strength, and in Lancelot, she finds someone who can handle her passion.
A Mixed Reaction
In regard to Collins’ portrayal of Guinevere as a character, readers give mixed reviews. On the positive end, Cynthia T. Cannon sees her as “not just a pale and timid woman, but more of a daring and independent person.”542 Elma Grove enthuses, “[A]t last, we have a Guinevere for our time, yet one who is also firmly rooted in the medieval world of the narrative. Without anachronism, Collins gives us brilliant access to the queen’s thoughts and emotions, her keen intelligence, strength, and compelling human responses to those surrounding her and to circumstances both within and beyond her control.”543 And Goodreads user Joy writes, “Guinevere isn’t just a gentile [sic] prize, victim of manipulation or a vindictive adulteress. She’s a woman of strength, character, desires, willfulness, and intelligence. She’s a heroine and powerful force in Arthurian Britain.”544
But others aren’t buying it. The “contradictions and waffling”545 in her character Jillian points out make this Guinevere much like earlier versions, which might be intentional given that Collins based her story on Malory. As we saw in Chapter Seven, his Guinevere varies wildly throughout, going from noble to treacherous at warp speed, and swooning over Lancelot one minute, while berating him the next. Perhaps Collins’ is simply following this lead.
However, it doesn’t sound like knowing the answer would matter much; readers who don’t like this Guinevere don’t seem to care about the reasons for her unattractive qualities. Sheila writes on Goodreads, “I would have enjoyed this book more if Guinevere had been even remotely likable. She was a selfish petulant child through the entire book. Her actions ruined lives and destroyed everything good in the story. However, she did not care. Almost everything bad that happens in the book is her fault. She’s actually surprised when someone (usually Kay) calls her on it.”546 Book blogger Geek Girl in Love writes, “What bugged me is that she’s so freaking self-centered. She can’t seem to grasp that there is an entire kingdom which will be totally ruined if she can’t control her libido… She can’t see or doesn’t care that all these acts of personal rebellion don’t get her any further towards self-determination but they do hurt a ton of people.”547 Others called her “a pretty messed up person,”548 “shallow,”549 “selfish,”550 and “dumb.”551
With only a few years having elapsed since the books’ publication, the jury is out on Collins’ overall contribution to Guinevere’s evolution. She clearly updated the character by allowing her to claim her sexuality and by making her “a strong accomplished warrior”552 who is worthy of respect in her own right. But as for advancing her role, some readers say there wasn’t enough gravitas to the material to call this much of an evolution. Erica writes on Goodreads, “It was a light read, with an interesting perspective—but cotton-candy, light, fluffy and not much substance, but enjoyable regardless.”553 Obviously, only time will tell what Collins’ overall impact on the history of Guinevere will be.
* * *
522 Cooley, "Re-vision from the Mists," 112.
523 Ibid.
524 Although the United States seems to have had a resurgence since the 2016 presidential election.
525 Gallagher, Michael, “Is feminism relevant in 2000?” BBC News Online, 28 December 1999.
526 Ibid.
527 It divided the country at least up until the 2016 election gained steam. The first female president on a major party ticket and her opposition being a documented misogynist reignited the feminist movement into what is now clearly a fourth wave.
528 Cheryl Campanello and Nancy McKenzie both have highly successful Guinevere series intended for the teen or young adult market.
529 As of this writing, my novel Daughter of Destiny has won nine awards and been short-listed in two others. My novel Camelot’s Queen has won seven and been long- or short-listed in four others. Both books have been named Books of the Year, Daughter of Destiny by Chanticleer Reviews in 2015 and Camelot’s Queen by Author’s Circle in 2016. For a full list of awards, please visit https://nicoleevelina.com/awards/.
530 Collins, Lavinia, Guinevere: A Medieval Romance (London: The Book Folks, December 2, 2014), no page number given in the ebook.
531 Medieval Bex, “Interview with Lavinia Collins, author of The Warrior Queen,” interviewed by Rebecca E. Lyons, June 5, 2014.
532 I believe she may be the first to give Guinevere this heritage.
533 Here Collins seems to be playing with the idea of consent in a sexual relationship, flipping the traditional gender roles to make a statement perfectly timed to public consciousness which was on high alert with “rape culture” being in the news.
534 Martin, Leonide, review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, January 25, 2017.
535 Brewer, “The Figure of Guenevere,” 286.
536 As Collins’ books are so new that there is no critical literature available, at least that I can find, I am using reviews from readers on Goodreads and Amazon to get a sample of reader opinions. Plus, just as characters evolve over time, so do methods of reviewing books, and today scholarly critical analysis is not the only method.
537 Terric853, review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, June 2, 2016.
538 Jillian, review of The Warrior Queen, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, December 1, 2014.
539 Preston, Tricia, review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, by Lavinia Collins, Amazon, June 21, 2016.
540 Lyons, Bex, review of The Day of Destiny, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, August 21, 2014.
541 Cooley, "Re-vision from the Mists," 58.
542 Cannon, Cynthia T., review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, May 22, 2016.
543 Grove, Elma, review of The Warrior Queen, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, April 17, 2014.
544 Joy, review of The Day of Destiny, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, November 12, 2014.
545 Jillian, review of The Warrior Queen. by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, December 1, 2014.
546 Sheila, review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, May 19, 2016.
547 Geek Girl in Love, “Book Review: The Guinevere Trilogy, by Lavinia Collins,” September 22, 2014.
548 Ibid.
549 Martin, review of A Medieval Romance, Goodreads.
550 Daneesha, review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, March 25, 2016.
551 Geek Girl in Love, review of The Guinevere Trilogy, Goodreads, September 22, 2014.
552 Ankiel, Janet, review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, by Lavinia Collins, Goodr
eads, May 12, 2016.
553 Erica, review of Guinevere: A Medieval Romance, by Lavinia Collins, Goodreads, May 27. 2016.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Nicole Evelina
“I was once a queen, a lover, a wife, a mother, a priestess, and a friend. But all those roles are lost to me now; to history, I am simply a seductress, a misbegotten woman set astray by the evils of lust.
This is the image painted of me by subsequent generations, a story retold thousands of times. Yet, not one of those stories is correct. They were not there; they did not see through my eyes or feel my pain. My laughter was lost to them in the pages of history…”
It ends now. I will take back my voice and speak the truth of what happened… All I ask is that mankind listen to my words, and then judge me on their merit. 554
— Daughter of Destiny by Nicole Evelina
Guinevere and Me: Personal Reflections
Including my own novels in this book may seem a bit self-serving and strange, but I wrote my Guinevere’s Tale trilogy with the intention of changing the paradigm for her character so I am as much a part of her evolution as the others examined within this volume. Like Lavinia Collins, my books are too new for there to be much critical analysis, so instead I am going to relay my intent.555 What others may decide about me and my books in the future is up to them.
I wrote my books under the strong influence of Marion Zimmer Bradley and somewhat under the influence of Parke Godwin and Nancy McKenzie, all of whom I read before attempting my own novels. I loved The Mists of Avalon, especially Bradley’s vision of Avalon, but I disliked the way the author seemed to feel that both Morgan and Guinevere couldn’t be strong, capable women at the same time, which is how I pictured them. Because of this, I have done my best to uphold the dignity and strength of both characters in my work, making them women who stand in opposition to one another like magnets of reverse polarity, while bowing down to no one, not even one another. Godwin influenced my portrayal by getting me to think about Guinevere’s life after Arthur’s death, which in turn led me to thinking about her life before she married him. McKenzie was a strong subconscious influence on my portrayal of Elaine and her close, familial relationship with Guinevere. Because these other author’s portrayals could color how I wrote my own version of the tale, I decided to take the advice of William Morris, who “once remarked that the best way to deal with old stories was to close the book and retell them as new stories for yourself.”556
Why I chose to write about Guinevere isn’t a simple question to answer. As we have seen, literature tells us painfully few things about Guinevere, other than she married Arthur, was barren, had an affair with Lancelot, etc. But no one’s identity should be reduced to a handful of incidents. Guinevere had a childhood, a family, and dreams for her future. She was a queen and may or may not have been a mother. As for her infamous affair, every situation has a context that is important to understanding it, even when it’s the climax that is remembered. Guinevere had reasons for acting as she did, and she didn’t do it in a vacuum. The circumstances surrounding her affair are just as important as the act itself. The medieval tale of her ending her days in a convent is convenient and moral, but we all know life is messy and usually doesn’t end tied up in a nice bow. Chances are good there was far more to Guinevere’s story than we’ve ever heard.
The Guinevere’s Tale trilogy (Daughter of Destiny, Camelot’s Queen – both published in 2016 – and Mistress of Legend, forthcoming in 2018) is my attempt to give context to the bits of Guinevere’s life that tradition gives us. In it, Guinevere tells her own story—from the age of eleven to well into her fifties—seeking to right the wrongs history has thrust upon her, to clear away the mists of time, and to give the reader a clear picture of who she really was, virtues, sins, and all. As she says in the prologue: “I deserve to be able to bear witness before being condemned by men who never saw my face. Grieve with me, grieve for me, but do not believe the lies which time would sell. All I ask is that mankind listen to my words, and then judge me on their merit.”557
The world needs strong female characters now more than ever. Guinevere, despite her sullied reputation, is an archetype that women of every age can look up to. A few years ago, Merida in Brave showed us that a Disney princess can be strong and accomplish a mission without a man at the end to bring about her happily ever after. Legendary ones can do the same. If King Arthur existed, Guinevere would have lived in a similar culture to Merida, in a time and place when women had more rights than in the rest of the world. Even 1,500 years later, Guinevere shows us that as women, while we naturally love and nurture, we can also lead ourselves and others, taking our destinies into our own hands and shaping our own future while positively influencing others.
To me, Guinevere is a perfect example of how strong is more than just physical strength. Yes, my Guinevere can wield a sword and leads troops into battle, but that’s not the only way in which she shows strength. Over the course of the trilogy, my Guinevere is a woman who is tapped for roles she never expected—much less desired—and deals with repeated heartache, the loss of loved ones, jealousy, abuse, and expectations that would bow lesser women. She shows us that being a strong woman means carrying on even in your darkest hours and emerging on the other side stronger than you were before.
Breaking with Tradition by Inventing Guinevere’s Early Years
Barbara Gordon-Wise writes:
[T]he traditional treatment of Guinevere begins with her marriage to Arthur and ends with enclosure in a nunnery after his death. Details of her existence before marriage are extremely scanty and generally they allude only to her father. After the fall of Camelot and Arthur, Guinevere is without exception depicted safely ensconced in the arms of the patriarchal Christian church. Obviously an independent Guinevere would have presented many difficulties…it has been left to modern fantasy to flesh out the maiden aspect of the queen.558
She continues this thought a few pages later, noting that even the versions that have Guinevere fall in love with another before marrying Arthur, usually Lancelot—as in Heber’s 1830 poem “Morte D’Arthur,” Richard Hovey’s late nineteenth century play Lancelot and Guenevere, and Tennyson—“focus on Guinevere’s life before marriage only to create sympathy for her ultimate betrayal of Arthur. There is no true depiction Guinevere as maiden/virgin since her existence is totally dependent on men.”559
I approached the book that would become Daughter of Destiny wanting to give Guinevere context. After all, we have an entire tradition built around Arthur’s birth narrative at Tintagel castle, so why do we not know anything about the young Guinevere? That she was raised by a strong woman was a given for me. I couldn’t fathom how she could be reared otherwise and go on to be the powerful, intelligent queen I envisioned. When I read about the Votadini tribe of what is today southern Scotland and their historical connection to Wales, the very place I wanted to set Guinevere’s childhood, I knew I had her maternal linage. For her paternal ancestors, I kept with the traditions dating back to Geoffrey of Monmouth by making them Roman.
Much of Guinevere’s personality is shaped by her family and her upbringing. She is a very selfish girl who gets somewhat better with age, maturity, and experience. Narcissism is a common trait among children, especially those without siblings, and is in keeping with the way Guinevere has been portrayed throughout the course of Arthurian tradition. It also makes sense because as the only surviving child of the thirteen her parents sired, she was coddled and protected because she was their only direct heir. Unfortunately, this also made her very self-centered.
Her time in Avalon teaches Guinevere a modicum of humility, but not as much as some people display naturally. Later, after Guinevere marries Arthur, she is the most powerful woman in the land, so her worldview remains centered on herself, as it did for many historical rulers.
I would like to believe my Guinevere doesn’t show much of the rashness that char
acterized early versions of her character, but she is still jealous. Between Elaine being besotted with Arthur and then Lancelot (in books 1 and 2) and Morgan vying for Arthur’s attention (in book 2), I don’t personally see how that trait can be eradicated from Guinevere’s personality without turning her into a “featherhead” like Bradley’s Guinevere or making her blind to Elaine’s involvement as she seems to be in McKenzie.
Pagan vs. Christian
Making Guinevere a priestess of Avalon is probably my most controversial move, at least according to readers. While some people like the change, others resent what they see as me taking away Morgan’s traditional power or customary role and giving it to Guinevere. Gordon-Wise explains Guinevere’s tangential traditional relationship with magic:
Guinevere, though never as blatantly associated with magic and sorcery as Morgan la Fee, [sic] still becomes tainted with the elements traditionally characteristic with witches or the practice of witchcraft. Once the figure of the queen became linked with adultery and then lechery, the association with witchcraft became more marked. It has been left to modern fantasy writers either to erase this negative image or to posit more strongly the beneficial aspect of the witch archetype—the Wise Woman.560