A Study Of The Penelopiad From The Perspective Of Postmodernism

The Penelopiad is a novel rewritten by Margret Atwood based on Homer's epic Odyssey.The writer gives the right of speak to the female characters.Through the narrative of the hostess Penelope and her twelve maids,the writer has raised two unanswered questions: What pushed the maids to the gallows? What role did Penelope play? The story no longer focuses on Odysseus' s returning and his heroic tenacious personal image.In the novel,Penelope tells her own story and expresses her attitude on her husband and his heroic behaviors.In addition,her twelve maids also stand up to complain about their unfortunate fate.Most of domestic and foreign researches on The Penelopiad have focused on the rewriting of the classic and characters.However,there are few studies on the novel from the perspective of postmodernism.Therefore,the thesis will study The Penelopiad from postmodern perspective,and try to deconstruct the classical events,characters,structures and relationships by means of comparative analysis.So,it enables the readers to understand the characteristics of postmodern novel better.In addition,through comparative analysis,readers can deepen their understanding of Margaret Atwood's views on women,gender and society.The thesis consists of five parts: an introduction,three chapters and a conclusion.The introductory part offers a brief introduction to Margaret Atwood and her main works,introduces the story of The Penelopiad and postmodernism theory,and provides a literature review of Margaret Atwood and The Penelopiad at home and abroad.Chapter One explores the reconstruction of classical events in the novel.In recent years,more and more writers have chosen to restate literary classics,and Margaret Atwood is one of them.The novel rewrites the classic events in Odyssey from postmodernism perspective.Odysseus was initially forced to join the Trojan War and he was immersed in the beauty of many admirers on his way home.Atwood,in her novella The Penelopiad,creates a narrative way to meet human need for justice and retribution,which makes an adjustment for the classic events of novella in some sense.Chapter Two expounds the subversion of the characters and the innovative narration of the plot structure.In western classical literature,men are always the center,and women are just the insignificant roles,which have no right to speak.Margaret Atwood arranges Penelope to sing and combines twelve maids into a choir,who took turns performing on stage.It reveals a story completely different from Odyssey.Therefore,the narrative structure also has been changed.Chapter Three elaborates the relationships among the fictional characters in The Penelopiad,which are diverse and complex.Family relations,social relations and the relationship between humanity and God are the three most important relationships in Homer's time.These relationships are filled with love and affection,as well as interest,revenge and betrayal.The conclusion explicates the significance of the research.In The Penelopiad,Atwood makes a subversive description of the Homer's epic Odyssey and gives marginalized silent women the right to speak and let them make their own voices.Besides,it also criticizes and subverts the patriarchal ideology.The interpretation of The Penelopiad in postmodernism perspective will not only make the author's view of women clearer,but also deepen readers' understanding of the characteristics of postmodern novels.