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by Minerva Waters
The Scarlet Lily, by Edward F. Murphy (Grosset & Dunlap, 1944)
This is a fairly straightforward tale of Mary Magdalene as the
pentitent sinner who meets Jesus and gives up her life of
sin to be born anew. It tends to get a bit cloying and preachy
in places.
One of the main themes, as the title suggests, emphasizes the
Virgin/Whore dicotomy: that Mary Magdalene is a stained scarlet
woman compared to the white purity of the Virgin Mary. According
to the version in this novel, the virgin Mary always knew that
her son was special and as a result never seemed to suffer
because of it, even as she watched him being crucified, something
most readers would find difficult to believe. These two woman,
first among Jesus' followers, seem to be the very pillars of
strength that all women should aspire to.
Despite the author's claims in the forward that this is just
fiction, it does tend to read like a medieval morality play,
so unless that sort of book appeals to you, you probably won't
enjoy it.
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