A Shift in Perspective: Temptress Witch to Realistic Woman

<p>In mid-20th century Anglo-American translations of The Odyssey, Odysseus is painted as a courageous, clever king while the briefly-featured Circe is portrayed as a temptress witch. This dichotomy changes, however, by the time these characters are featured in early 21st-century adaptations of Homer’s work; both released in 2018, Madeline Miller’s Circe and Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing reclaim Circe’s depiction by portraying a Circe-like character as a powerful protagonist, aware of her strengths and weaknesses. By analyzing the archetype of the witch and how it is reflective of patriarchal society’s efforts to reduce and isolate women’s power, I argue that the Anglo-American literary tradition of The Odyssey demonizes powerful women by portraying Circe as a witch to be feared. In contrast, Miller’s and Owens’s works offer an alternative Circe, one who is as a powerful woman, able to form relationships and gain knowledge outside the bounds of male-dominated society.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Conroy, Caroline

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ryan D. Perry
• Hava Gordon
• Donna Beth Ellard

• Circe
• Isolation
• Nature
• Sexuality
• Where the Crawdads Sing
• Witch
• Arts and Humanities
• Comparative Literature
• English Language and Literature
• Literature in English, North America

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2039

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-3036