Re-Visioning Mythmaking: Contending Female Voices In Duffy's The World's Wife And Atwood's The Penelopiad

Abstract

Mythologies have long perpetuated the idea of patriarchal world order as they “justify an existing social system and account for traditional rites and customs” (Graves 21). Revisionist Mythmaking, according to Ostriker, is an effective strategy to re-define female identity and to make “corrections” to constructed “images of what women have collectively and historically suffered” (73). The World’s Wife is a collection of poetry by Carol Ann Duffy, narrated by prominent mythical and historical figures' wives, offering counter perspectives to the existing Western canon. Atwood’s The Penelopiadis a novella written in the form of a mock-heroic that narrates the story of Penelope, better known as the wife of King Odysseus. An analysis of both these works showcase the shift in narrative and lay bare the inherent injustice afforded to women in mythological renderings. This paper attempts to study how Duffy and Atwood attempt to redefine narrative epistemology by subverting high culture handed down as normative through traditional mythology.