Tuesday, 18 July 2023

The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood

 


Here Atwood and I are two roads that diverge into the woods. That's because we see Penelope differently: while we agree that being smart and ordinary-looking should be way more than enough to earn universal respect and recognition, I believe that she was given that long before Atwood's novella. 

Or perhaps the way in which I always thought of Penelope is different from the way most people (or at least most men) thought of her through the centuries, which is a distinct possibility. 

Still, looking at this through the prospective of the twelve maids that are supposedly so dear to Atwood might have been a more interesting approach (at least for me). Instead, the maids here are reduced to a - sometimes incongruous - chorus, and I think ultimately even Atwood doesn't do them justice. 

And if I was to retell the Odyssey from a different perspective for the umpteenth time, I'd probably be looking at the events through Argos's eyes. Seriously. 

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