Research in Contemporary World Literature

Research in Contemporary World Literature

Homeric Bard in The Penelopiad, Circe, and A Thousand Ships as Contemporary Mythological Literary Adaptations by Female Authors

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 English Language and Literature, Literature and Humanities Faculty, Shahid Beheshti Univesity, Tehran, Iran.
2 English Language and Literature, Literature and Humanities Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jor.2026.403828.2746
Abstract
This article examines the means through which contemporary feminist authors regain narrative authority in myth revisions using the redefinition of the narrative voice. In epics such as those by Homer, the bard who ostensibly relies on sacred inspiration and poetic guidance works to explain masculine heroism by negating or erasing women’s experiences. From a narratological perspective and by utilizing Adrienne Rich’s idea of re-vision, this article argues that narrative voice is something more than a stylistic characteristic and can be seen as an instrument of ideology forging power and dominance. The argument is represented using three contemporary adaptations: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (2005), Circe by Madeline Miller (2018), and A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (2019). All three novels employ narratological techniques, such as first-person focalization, polyphony, metanarration, and structural hybridity in order to subvert the epic tradition and prioritize women’s voices. Rather than placing female figures within the narratives of men, these authors redefine the conditions of narration itself. They construct feminist bards whose authority is not gained from mythic command but from experience, resistance, and the necessity of being heard. The article concludes that these retellings offer an updated version of known myths and remake them, offering a narratological strategy that is aesthetically subversive and politically transformative.
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Early View, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 October 2026