Comparative Analysis of Ancient Myth Retellings in the Works of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46991/BYSU.B/2026.17.3.031Keywords:
ancient myth, feminist prose, new female mythopoetics, comparative analysis, narrative voice, focalization, heroism, power and violence, Madeline Miller, Pat BarkerAbstract
The article presents a comparative analysis of twenty-first-century feminist retellings of ancient myth based on Circe by Madeline Miller and The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. Particular attention is devoted to narrative structure, the shift of focalization in accordance with the cultural context and the type of narration, as well as to the deconstruction of traditional heroic discourse. The study examines the ways in which contemporary authors reinterpret mythological material from an alternative perspective, shifting the semantic focus from heroic epic to psychological experience, particularly traumatic experience and its consequences. The analysis also identifies two distinct models of contemporary female mythopoetics that reflect different modes of interaction with mythological structures and narrative authority.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Anna Chomaryan
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