JAROCHA-ERNST@RU-BLUE.ARPA (06/18/85)
From: Chris Jarocha-Ernst <JAROCHA-ERNST@RU-BLUE.ARPA> Everybody point at Peter Trei and say "Booo!" Peter, OF COURSE Disney's "The Black Cauldron" is based on the Lloyd Alexander works. It's been stated plainly, in SF-LOVERS and elsewhere. What's worse, though, is that you don't seem to know that Alexander's works are, in turn, based on "The Mabinogion" itself. In fact, "The Black Cauldron" (film or book) uses "Branwen Daughter of Llyr" as its original source. As far as "late 20th century ethics and mores being espoused by Dark Age men and women" goes, I really don't see the problem. Does reading "The Mabinogion" put your teeth on edge, too? After all, it has Christian ethics and mores being espoused by pre-Christian men and women. Storytellers always include motivations with which their audiences can identify - it's a tradition - might even say an oral tradition :-). Just because Marion Zimmer Bradley is so heavy-handed about it is no reason to fault the approach. Loosen up. This is fiction, not history, we're talking about. Why bother reading a retelling if not to get a modern interpretation? May I assume that you don't like Evangeline Walton? If so, too bad. Someone as interested in Celtic mythology as you seem to be from your posting should read Lloyd Alexander's books, but if modern motivations (and other "glosses", if you must) bother you, I can only sigh and shake my head. How about Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series? Modern applications of Celtic/Arthurian myth; at least here the action is set in the 20th century, so there should be no problem with anachronistic ethics. Oh, what the Annwn, toss in Madeleine L'Engle's "A Swiftly Tilting Planet", too. Only tangential to Celtic myth, and not as good as her "A Wrinkle in Time", but... Chris -------