The Transculturation of Mythic Archetypes: Margaret Atwood’s Circe

  • Nicola Leporini Independent Scholar. Previously: Università di Pisa.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_AMAL.2015.v7.48348
Keywords: Atwood, Circe, Odyssey, Odysseus, Ambivalence, Mimicry, Transculturation

Abstract

In this article I will focus on the transformation of mythic archetypes in Margaret Atwood’s collection of poetry You Are Happy. More specifically, I will analyze Atwood’s use of the character Circe (and, indirectly, Odysseus) in the section titled “Circe / Mud Poems.” My hypothesis is that Atwood’s revision of mythic archetypes can find an appropriate interpretation when it is read as a reflection on the colonial condition. For this reason, the treatment of the mythical archetypes will be explained referring to three key concepts in postcolonial studies: ambivalence, mimicry, and transculturation.

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Published
2015-06-22
How to Cite
Leporini N. (2015). The Transculturation of Mythic Archetypes: Margaret Atwood’s Circe. Amaltea. Revista de mitocrítica, 7, 37-55. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_AMAL.2015.v7.48348
Issue
Vol. 7 (2015): Myth and Emotions
Section
Articles | Miscellany

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