Document Type
Paper
Abstract
This paper explores Lev Grossman’s 2024 novel The Bright Sword as a postsecular retelling of the Arthurian legend, focusing on the character of Nimue. Unlike previous modern portrayals that align Nimue with pagan traditions in opposition to Christianity, Grossman presents her as both a practitioner of magic and a sincere Christian believer. Through this duality, Nimue embodies the tensions and contradictions of faith in a postmodern age, where belief persists amid doubt, historical trauma, and religious pluralism. Drawing on postsecular theory, the paper situates Grossman’s work within a broader literary tradition that includes Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon and Bernard Cornwell’s The Winter King, while highlighting Grossman’s unique contribution: a Camelot shaped by broken ideals, spiritual ambiguity, and the enduring hope for renewal. Nimue’s journey reflects a nuanced engagement with faith, magic, and identity, offering a compelling vision of belief that resists both fundamentalism and secular disenchantment.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Busby, Liz
(2025)
"Belief After the Death of King Arthur: Lev Grossman’s Postsecular Portrayal of Nimue in The Bright Sword,"
Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings: Vol. 2025:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://dc.swosu.edu/mythpro/vol2025/iss1/3
