This study approaches myths as patriarchal narratives and ideological tools and it
argues that representations of women from an androcentric perspective in Greek
mythology are also observed in the Bible. This study argues that patriarchy as a
universal ideology has produced the same gender stereotypes beginning from
Ancient Greece. Consequently, Western literature, which has the Classical and
Biblical tradition as its main source, has reinforced the same female images
throughout its history. Besides, it is suggested that, the Western canon failed to
create alternative female models for the binary opposition of submissive wives
versus the female evil figure and the main stereotypical characteristics had not
been challenged until the emergence of feminist criticism. This study thus aims to
discuss myths as one of the foremost sites of the construction of ideological
subjects and it analyses the rewritings of Greek, Old Testament and New
Testament myths by contemporary women writers in fiction / namely Margaret
Atwood&rsquo / s The Penelopiad, Marion Zimmer Bradley&rsquo / s The Firebrand, Anita
Diamant&rsquo / s The Red Tent, India Edghill&rsquo / s Queenmaker, Gail Sidonie Sobat&rsquo / s The
Book of Mary and Miché / le Roberts&rsquo / The Wild Girl and it explores the textual
strategies that are employed by women writers in order to subvert and revise the
patriarchal ideology in myths, to come up with alternative definitions of female
identity and to weave gynocentric myths.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12613185/index.pdf |
| Date | 01 April 2011 |
| Creators | Dorschel, Funda Basak |
| Contributors | Cileli, Meral |
| Publisher | METU |
| Source Sets | Middle East Technical Univ. |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Ph.D. Thesis |
| Format | text/pdf |
| Rights | To liberate the content for public access |
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