Penelope within the postfeminist frame, contemporary retelling to the mythic figure through The Penelopiad, Margeret Atwood and The Memoirs of Helen, Amanda Elyot.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/amal.102000
Keywords: Helen of Troy, postfeminism, Margaret Atwood, Trojan Cycle, Gender perspective, myth reinterpretation

Abstract

Margaret Atwood’s Penelope (The Penelopiad) offers a reinterpretation which questions traditional epic values through a cynic narrative, full of autonomy, sarcasm and individualism. Standing out from her classical counterpart, Atwoods version reflects on the contradictions originated by the 2000’s postfeminism ambience, when femininity and autonomy were built around competitive dynamics and interiorized misogyny. Eliot’s Helen (The Memoirs of Helen) counterparts her as an exponent of critical, collective feminism that questions feminine arquetipes through the mythical structure. Revising its historical evolution, this works aims to understand each reinterpretation, as their place and significance in contemporary culture.

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Published
2025-10-30
How to Cite
Argibay Ares A. (2025). Penelope within the postfeminist frame, contemporary retelling to the mythic figure through The Penelopiad, Margeret Atwood and The Memoirs of Helen, Amanda Elyot. Amaltea. Journal of Myth Criticism, 17, e102000. https://doi.org/10.5209/amal.102000
Issue
Vol. 17 (2025)
Section
Articles

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