Gender and the Interpretation of Classical Myth

by Lillian E. Doherty

Myths reflect, reinforce, and sometimes subvert gender ideologies and so have an influence in the 'real world'. This is true in the present no less than when the Greek and Roman myths were created. The struggles to redefine gender roles and identities in our own time are inevitably reflected in our interpretations and retellings of these classical myths. Using the new lenses provided by gender studies and diverse forms of feminism, Lillian Doherty re-examines some of the major approaches to myth interpretation in the twentieth century: psychological, ritualist, 'charter', structuralist and folklorist. She also explores ‘popular' uses of classical mythology - from television and comic books to the evocation of goddesses in Jungian psychology.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Feminism, Greece, Gender

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Lillian Doherty's book is a scholarly, yet accessible interpretation of gender in classical myths. Her stated goal is to examine and compare the function of these myths in the current gender system with the role they played in the past. She defines a gender system as "the nexus of symbols, norms and roles that structure our gender relations"and examines a variety of sources from the classical world as well as contemporary retellings including film, television and children's books.

Dr.Doherty first examines the concept of gender system in depth and through interpretation of well known myths and demonstrates how it can be used to illuminate the gender system in the aforementioned comparative frame. In subsequent chapters she uses the same framework to focus upon key interpretive theories and demonstrates how they can be used to examine gender. These include psychological approaches, anthropological and philosophical theories that focus on myth and ritual, myth as charter as well as structuralist and post structuralist approaches. The final chapter examines myth, folk lore and popular culture.

I recently read Stephan Fry's retellings Mythos and Heroes. I was struck by the gender roles and wanted to probe further. This book really deepened my understanding of both gender systems and the theoretical lenses through which myths can be interpreted.