Lezersrecensie
Penelope and Odysseus
https://looneybooks79.blog/2024/05/05/the-penelopiad/
The Penelopiad is the first in a few books thatI will read in the following weeks that are about a (side-)character or events in Greek or Roman mythology, but rewritten by a modern day writer.
Margaret Atwood, mostly famous these days for her book ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ has taken a side character Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, who in Homer’s ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’ only plays a small part and is (as I understand it because I must admit I have never read any of these Greek and Roman mythologies) only mentioned.
But Atwood takes on her struggle while her husband is on his adventures and leaves for twenty years, leaving her with her family-in-law (and a mother-in-law with whom the relationship is very sour!) and having her wait for a husband while other suitors are at hand, looking to steal her away from Odysseus, whom they suspect will never return and is killed or has found other pastures to plant his ‘seeds’.
But Penelope stays loyal to her husband. Though she schemes! She starts a sort of cult with girls she saves (slave girls) and she offers these to her suitors to spy. Some of these girls and the suitors actually fall in love with each other. Others do what they need to do. But if this is a good idea, depends on whether Odysseus returns or not! And what consequences await Penelope?
I am not familiar with the source material and this is somewhat beyond my comfort zone so I can’t say I have actually liked this book. Not that it was badly written (Atwood never writes a bad book!) but I think I need to be more informed! (Btw, I am currently reading Lavinia by Ursula K. Leguin and I have the same feeling there although I approach that book differently… more on that in the review for Lavinia when it’s finished!)
Some things I did notice however. The Penelopiad has some similarities with The Handmaid’s Tale, wherein she portrays women who are in a situation they rather not be in and their resourcefulness and strong helps them survive but also face unrelenting consequences.
There was something else I noticed… in the beginning of the novel I was very confused because I know the original books by Homerus were written ages before Christianity or Christmas was even spoken of, yet there were links and mentions of both by Penelope… but if you are more attentive than I am and read till the end, you’ll understand why this happens! (No, I am not spoiling it!)
The Penelopiad is the first in a few books thatI will read in the following weeks that are about a (side-)character or events in Greek or Roman mythology, but rewritten by a modern day writer.
Margaret Atwood, mostly famous these days for her book ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ has taken a side character Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, who in Homer’s ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’ only plays a small part and is (as I understand it because I must admit I have never read any of these Greek and Roman mythologies) only mentioned.
But Atwood takes on her struggle while her husband is on his adventures and leaves for twenty years, leaving her with her family-in-law (and a mother-in-law with whom the relationship is very sour!) and having her wait for a husband while other suitors are at hand, looking to steal her away from Odysseus, whom they suspect will never return and is killed or has found other pastures to plant his ‘seeds’.
But Penelope stays loyal to her husband. Though she schemes! She starts a sort of cult with girls she saves (slave girls) and she offers these to her suitors to spy. Some of these girls and the suitors actually fall in love with each other. Others do what they need to do. But if this is a good idea, depends on whether Odysseus returns or not! And what consequences await Penelope?
I am not familiar with the source material and this is somewhat beyond my comfort zone so I can’t say I have actually liked this book. Not that it was badly written (Atwood never writes a bad book!) but I think I need to be more informed! (Btw, I am currently reading Lavinia by Ursula K. Leguin and I have the same feeling there although I approach that book differently… more on that in the review for Lavinia when it’s finished!)
Some things I did notice however. The Penelopiad has some similarities with The Handmaid’s Tale, wherein she portrays women who are in a situation they rather not be in and their resourcefulness and strong helps them survive but also face unrelenting consequences.
There was something else I noticed… in the beginning of the novel I was very confused because I know the original books by Homerus were written ages before Christianity or Christmas was even spoken of, yet there were links and mentions of both by Penelope… but if you are more attentive than I am and read till the end, you’ll understand why this happens! (No, I am not spoiling it!)
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