Medeas Chorus

Myth and Womens Poetry Since 1950

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British, Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Study Aids, ESL, Foreign Languages
Cover of the book Medeas Chorus by Veronica House, Peter Lang
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Veronica House ISBN: 9781454190042
Publisher: Peter Lang Publication: August 27, 2014
Imprint: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers Language: English
Author: Veronica House
ISBN: 9781454190042
Publisher: Peter Lang
Publication: August 27, 2014
Imprint: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
Language: English

Women’s mythic revision is a tradition at the heart of twentieth-century literature. Medea’s Chorus explores post-WWII women’s poetry that takes Greek mythology as its central topos. The book investigates five of the most influential poets writing in the twentieth century (H.D., Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, Margaret Atwood, Eavan Boland) who challenge both the ancient literary representations of women and the high modernist appropriations of the classics. In their poetry and prose, the women engage with cultural discourses about literary authority, gender, oppression, violence, and age. Yet even while the poets rework certain aspects of the Greek myths that they find troubling, they see the inherent power in the stories and use that power for personal and social revelation. Because myths exist in multiple versions, ancient writers did not create from scratch; their artistic contribution lay in how they changed the stories. Modern female poets are engaging in a several millennia-old tradition of mythic revision, a tradition that has ruthlessly posited that there is no place for women in the creation and transmission of mythological poetry. Medea’s Chorus tracks mythic revision from the 1950s through the second-wave feminist movement and into turn-of-the-century feminism to highlight individual achievements and to show the collective effect of the poets’ highly varied works on post-WWII literature and feminist thought and practice. This engaging and beautifully written book is a must-read for any student, teacher, or scholar of the Classical Tradition, revisionist mythmaking, and twentieth-century poetry.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Women’s mythic revision is a tradition at the heart of twentieth-century literature. Medea’s Chorus explores post-WWII women’s poetry that takes Greek mythology as its central topos. The book investigates five of the most influential poets writing in the twentieth century (H.D., Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, Margaret Atwood, Eavan Boland) who challenge both the ancient literary representations of women and the high modernist appropriations of the classics. In their poetry and prose, the women engage with cultural discourses about literary authority, gender, oppression, violence, and age. Yet even while the poets rework certain aspects of the Greek myths that they find troubling, they see the inherent power in the stories and use that power for personal and social revelation. Because myths exist in multiple versions, ancient writers did not create from scratch; their artistic contribution lay in how they changed the stories. Modern female poets are engaging in a several millennia-old tradition of mythic revision, a tradition that has ruthlessly posited that there is no place for women in the creation and transmission of mythological poetry. Medea’s Chorus tracks mythic revision from the 1950s through the second-wave feminist movement and into turn-of-the-century feminism to highlight individual achievements and to show the collective effect of the poets’ highly varied works on post-WWII literature and feminist thought and practice. This engaging and beautifully written book is a must-read for any student, teacher, or scholar of the Classical Tradition, revisionist mythmaking, and twentieth-century poetry.

More books from Peter Lang

Cover of the book Maîtres, précepteurs et pédagogues by Veronica House
Cover of the book Guelen-Inspired Hizmet in Europe by Veronica House
Cover of the book Defining Critical Animal Studies by Veronica House
Cover of the book Die Gesetzgebungslehre im Bereich des Privatrechts bei Christian Thomasius by Veronica House
Cover of the book Studien zur «buergerlichen Literatur» um die Wende vom 16. zum 17. Jahrhundert by Veronica House
Cover of the book Space, Place and the Discursive Construction of Identity by Veronica House
Cover of the book Schulgeschichte in Deutschland by Veronica House
Cover of the book Mapping Media Ecology by Veronica House
Cover of the book Strafbarkeit grenzueberschreitend taetiger Forschungsgruppen im Bereich der biomedizinischen Forschung in der Europaeischen Union by Veronica House
Cover of the book La variation pluridimensionnelle by Veronica House
Cover of the book Applied Linguistics Research and Methodology by Veronica House
Cover of the book Mapping Autonomy in Language Education by Veronica House
Cover of the book Kultur und Erziehung by Veronica House
Cover of the book The Impact of Climate Change on Sub-Sahara Africa by Veronica House
Cover of the book New Noise by Veronica House
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy