Woman as victimized or victimizer? : Analysing female characters' experience in Atwood's "Penelopiad", Le Guin's "Lavinia", and George's "Helen of Troy"

This thesis examines three rewritings of the classical epics from a female perspective, by analysing their stories of survival in the patriarchal system and of gender inequalities, with a focus on depictions of women's sexuality as a commodified object and on how women play the roles both of victim and victimizer in a male dominated society. The first chapter explores Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad, a rewriting of Homer's Odyssey from the perspective of Penelope and her twelve nameless maidens, who are the protagonists of the novella. Notably, the commodification and victimization of both Penelope and her maidens, and the dysfunctional sisterhood between them are explored. The second chapter focuses on Ursula K. Le Guin's Lavinia, a rewriting of Vergil's Aeneid from the perspective of Aeneas' wife Lavinia, who shares her narrative power with Vergil, the poet and her creator. In particular, the hostile relationship between Lavinia and her mother is examined in the context of victimization, along with her married life and her experience of motherhood. Margaret George's Helen of Troy, a rewriting of Homer's Iliad, is analyzed in the third chapter; in particular, Helen's double role as victim and victimizer is discussed, while her experiences are explored from the perspective of commodification, as are those of the Trojan women, who victimized sexually and psychologically in the patriarchal system. Key Words: mythology, rewriting, women's writing, subjectivity, women's sexuality, commodification, victimizer, victimized, gender, sex, feminism, patriarchy