Leiden University Student Repository

Verbeek, Paula 2024

Correcting the Narrative: Feminist Revisionist Mythmaking in Twenty-First-Century Appropriations of Classical Mythology

Master thesis | Literary Studies (MA)

open access

In recent years, novels centring on female characters form Greek mythology have quickly grown into a popular subgenre. Many of these novels use their mythological sources as a backdrop to focus on...Show moreIn recent years, novels centring on female characters form Greek mythology have quickly grown into a popular subgenre. Many of these novels use their mythological sources as a backdrop to focus on feminist issues, revising classical narratives to show the continuity of feminist concerns. This is typically done by shifting the focus away from male characters who recieve most attention in their classical sources and focussing instead on female characters who have been pushed to the margins or silenced entirely. This thesis uses Alicia Ostriker's term "feminist revisionist mythmaking" to describe how adaptation of Greek mythology can be used to bring forth silenced voices of female characters and simultaneously speak out against patriarchy and oppression of women. With this in mind, three recent feminist revisionist novels are analysed: Circe by Madeline Miller, The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, and Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes. These novels are part of the wave of feminist revisionist retellings following the rise of the #MeToo movement and an argument is made that the movement's concerns are reflected in the novels. This thesis aims to show that revisions of Greek mythology can be used as a potent vehicle for feminist issues of today, not in spite of their ancient source material, but precisely because the seeds of these issues are already present in Greek myths themselves.Show less