Giving Voice to the Villainess: Feminist Revisionist Mythology in Madeline Miller’s Circe (2018) and Rosie Hewlett’s Medusa (2021)

Abstract

Mythology transcends time and eras as it keeps getting rewritten, revisited, and rediscovered. Each thread sewn into the complex tapestry of myths further fastens its place in literature and popular culture. Previously a strictly elitist male endeavor, feminist revisionist mythology lays a feminine claim upon the body of myths that have been out of reach for centuries. This study investigates the incorporation of a feminine perspective into Greek myths as a subversive strategy to dismantle androcentric archetypes that define literary and cultural spheres. In so doing, Madeline Miller's Circe (2018) and Rosie Hewlett's Medusa (2021) are explored as novels reclaiming unvoiced villainous women alongside Northrop Frye's and Joseph Campbell's Archetypal theories to investigate their subversive reach. Findings reveal that a feminist view is crucial for breathing fresh air into ancient myths and providing narratives that women can connect with. However, it is crucial for women writers to tread the path of revision carefully lest they reinforce myths rather than deconstruct them.