In keeping with the genre of fantasy, Bradley invokes elements of the fantastic in The Mists of Avalon—several marvelous elements assist the various characters throughout the text. These fantastical events are most profound in the practice of magic which is attributed to Morgaine and Merlin, and in the magical phenomena embedded within the plot: dragons lurk in forests, hands emerge from lakes bearing swords, magical islands suspend time, and people are granted immortality. Fantastic elements are at the base of all Arthuriana, no matter which author writes or rewrites the myth.

What does differ, however, is the treatment of magic within distinct texts; the notion of magic takes on different meanings within individual artistic representations. Moreover, these meanings are central to the issues addressed as magic often plays a central role in visual representations of women, sexual transgression, and gender stereotypes. Thus, through the use of...