Circe: Feminist Reimaginations of Classic Greek Mythology
Released by author Madeline Miller in 2018, the fantasy novel Circe draws upon Greek mythology to tell the complete story of the titular, infamous witch-goddess. Circe isn’t Miller’s first time retelling classic Greek mythology– her first novel, The Song of Achilles, explored the queer subtext present in Homer’s Illiad. Classic Greek mythology is seen as high culture, as the Homeric poems are written in verse not accessible to a casual reader. However, with Circe, audiences are exposed to a new version of the character in a novel format, one who is more than a side character in a man’s hero journey. Though closely drawn from original myths, Miller’s accessible version is pop culture because of its widespread influence on online book culture. By making Circe the storyteller of her own myths, Miller’s Circe repackages classic mythology for a modern, young feminist audience. In doing so, Miller emphasizes the importance of the female gaze in pop culture.
When readers are introduced to Circe in Homer’s Odyssey, she is the quintessential woman, merely there to help the hero Odysseus on his quest– a perfect reflection of how media written by men portrays women as one-dimensional. She is initially an unassailable force, cursing Odysseus’s men into pigs, but her temper is interceded by Odysseus who eventually seduces her (Rodax, 1971). We, the audience, only see Circe through the eyes of the men of Odysseus’s crew. In the essay, “In Defense of Circe,” scholar Yvonne Rodax characterizes Circe’s depiction in the Odyssey by writing, “Not only was she regal and beautiful, but she was accessible—and consistently entertaining...She anticipated the least of Odyseuss' personal needs with great tenderness and insight, and never became a bore,” (Rodax, 1971). Though her status as a goddess and witch makes her more powerful than Odysseus and the men of his crew, her status as “woman” delegates her to a subservient role, portraying the typical female ideal. Andi Ziesler, a feminist writer, describes both the male and female gazes in Feminism and Pop Culture (Ziesler, 2008). On the male gaze, Ziesler states “by positioning women as nothing more than objects to be looked at, sexualized, and made vulnerable, the male unconscious reassures itself that, really, it has nothing to fear from women,” (Ziesler, 2008). The depiction of Circe in the Odyssey and other myths contribute to the male gaze– Circe is strong but she is still a woman, so she must be tamed by male figures like Odysseus.
However, Miller’s version emphasizes the female gaze, reclaiming Circe’s image as one of self-determination instead of subjugation. Circe still helps Odysseus’s crew and finds herself falling for Odysseus’s charm, but readers are provided with her voice. Her meeting with Odysseus is a few chapters of a much longer narrative, instead of her only purpose. We see the experiences that inform her relationships with men, her childhood as a neglected nymph that makes her initially hungry for power. In the novel, Circe even comments on the reductionist perspective on herself seen in traditional myth, stating, “I was not surprised by the portrait of myself: the proud witch undone before the hero’s sword, kneeling and begging for mercy. Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep,” (Miller, 2018). Circe is more than a traditional retelling of Greek mythology, it is a retelling with a feminist undercurrent. By addressing the sexist views of women seen in the Odyssey or other classical mythology, Miller establishes her version of Circe as a feminist character, a hero in her own right. The usage of the “I” perspective, and the fact that Circe can reflect back on the depiction of herself in mythology written by men, creates a complex female character. As defined by Ziesler, the female gaze “informs how women see images of both themselves and of men and affects the images they themselves create,” (Ziesler, 2008). The female gaze is powerful because it allows women to reclaim images or ideas that would otherwise be constructed under the critical eye of the male gaze (Ziesler, 2008). Miller does not rewrite classic myths, invent her own to fit the modern feminist movement’s values, or gloss over the realities of living as a woman in a man’s world. Instead, she simply offers a change of perspective– the female perspective.
The impact of Circe on feminist discourse and pop culture overall lies in its large presence on online book spaces, such as #BookTok (Book TikTok). Scholar Michael Schudson argues that the critic and observer matter when analyzing the purpose of pop culture equally as much as the creator (Schudson, 1987). Though not generated by the author, online discourse about Circe reveals how “we have moved from an emphasis on the Work (the pristine object with intrinsic quality) to engagement with the Text,” (Schudson, 1987). Circe breaks down the barrier between the high culture of classical literature and pop culture by being a work of mythology so with which younger women in online book spaces frequently engage, (Flood, 2021). The positive reception to Circe is grounded in the author’s intention, the fact that the novel is a retelling in an accessible writing style that puts a woman’s perspective in the forefront. Women on #BookTok can relate to Circe’s struggles as a woman, and see themselves in mythology typically reserved for tales of male heroes. In this experiment between high and low culture, Miller ultimately demonstrates that classic literature can resonate with and empower younger, socially conscious female audiences without the essence of the myth being compromised.
Through the utilization of the female gaze, Circe shows the women of Greek mythology in a feminist light. Miller proves that Circe is more than the one-dimensional witch illustrated in Homer’s Odyssey. With Circe, Madeline Miller helps a younger generation of women feel empowered and inspired by classic Greek mythology in a pop culture setting.
Works Cited
Flood, A. (2021, June 25). The rise of BookTok: Meet the teen influencers pushing books up the charts. The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/25/the-rise-of-booktok-meet-the-teen-influencers-pushing-books-up-the-charts.
Miller, M. (2018). Circe. Little, Brown and Company.
Rodax, Y. (1971). “In Defense of Circe.” The Virginia Quarterly Review, 47(4), 581–596. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26443289
Schudson, M. (1987). The new validation of popular culture. In J. Storey (Ed.) Cultural theory and popular culture, pp. 495-503. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.
Zeisler, A. (2008). Pop and Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters. In Feminism and pop culture (pp. 1–21). Seal Press.
Hi Naima!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post and how it revolved around feminism and the female gaze. You brought up great points about how Madeline Miller wrote this to give a different perspective on female representation in Greek mythology. I also think this is a product of fan fiction in a sense because Miller is writing to have agency and is writing as a woman who doesn't feel represented in Greek mythologies. This is a main theme and reason behind fan fiction, especially for women like Miller, to see themselves portrayed in what they read. Oftentimes everything is written, told, and controlled by white males, it is clear that Miller wants to show that women have more to offer in the world of Greek mythologies as well as in life in general, to portray women as more than simple sub-characters and sidekicks to men. She does this to give dignity and respect to all women on a national and international level. All women who use the platform BookTok can have access to, circulate, and conversate about the topics and issues Miller brings up in her novel. Like you stated, “Miller does not rewrite classic myths….Instead, she simply offers a change of perspective– the female perspective.” This is also what makes it pop culture because of its widespread popularity and influence on society and culture. Lastly, I think that Miller would be a 3rd wave feminist because she is trying to empower and show the value of the female voice. She writes about how Circe still helps and works with Odysseus’s crew and falls for Odysseus’s charm, but how this time readers are provided with her voice and perspective which is important because oftentimes feminists are labeled as men haters or gay women. Miller does a good job showing that this isn’t the case and that women can still challenge the traditional patriarchy and still fall for men, but she drives home the point of having the story told from the female gaze and perspective as you stated. I enjoyed your topic and blog!
Hi Naima, I really enjoyed your blog post and it is something new and interesting for me. I highly agree that you bring up feminist topic by Zeisler because it is the first topic that came up to my mind regarding the fantasy novel Circe. I also like how you bring up male gaze by Andi Zeisler in a deep way, which when you said there is a ‘better’ picture of woman in this novel which is stronger than man, but it’s still connected with Zeisler’s female gaze by how woman is nothing more than to look at and even is Circe is a strong woman but she still tamed by male figures like Odysseus. This shown that how strong the novel wants to portrayed a strong woman, but there is still male gaze underneath the portrayal.
ReplyDeleteBesides, I also enjoyed how you bring up the female gaze at your next section. It shows that Miller’s version of Circe can be portrayed as determination. Therefore, at the end you also conclude that Miller’s version can lead to a better woman empowerment. I also agree that Circe shows the feminist light. On the other hand, I also enjoy how the high culture can be deliver in a new way of ‘low’ culture without compromising the essence of myth. Therefore, I really enjoy the new side of your writing with a very clear conclusion at the end. I also like that you give a real example based on the book to help me as a reader understand the context of the novel even I never read it.
Hi Naima,
ReplyDeleteAs a fan of Greek mythology, I love that you chose to write about a retelling of a classical book of the Odyssey. When I read the Odyssey in high school, I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who made me aware of the power dynamic that exists surrounding women in the ancient world and especially ancient Greek literature. From Penelope to Circe and Helen of Troy, these strong female characters always end up as props for the male protagonists in these stories. No matter how powerful or independent these women were, they were always used as static catalysts and plot tools to further the journey of the heroes. Even a goddess like Circe is all powerful until a man charms her and takes away any of her sense of self or ambition as seen by when she commits suicide when Odysseus chooses to leave her.
A retelling that takes a story in which she had little to no agency and reclaims it by telling it through her perspective is important to add context to stories such as the Odyssey. She breaks the mold of being a bystander in a man’s journey by becoming a dynamic character with self-possessed goals, fears, and feelings. The framing of how a character is portrayed impacts the entire telling of a story. John Storey would argue that Homer uses ideological control to portray women as no more than props in male stories by presenting distorted images of reality that work in favor of those in power and against the interests of the powerless. The frequent disenfranchisement of women as their own characters serves a narrative that women could never be the main characters of their stories, but Circe reclaims control of one of the characters that Homer has used in order to enact this ideological control.
When I came across your blog post, I was so excited because I am currently reading Song of Achilles, the first book I’ve read from Madeline Miller, and it’s been my latest obsession. Coming across your post could not have been a coincidence since I was reading the book just a couple minutes earlier.
ReplyDeleteA few days ago, I was speaking to a group about how much I enjoy this book, and I had one person laugh and vehemently disagree, claiming the book was just “Greek mythology fan fiction.” And my immediate first thought was “and what’s wrong with that??” As Michel de Certeau defined, “poachers” of textual meaning appropriate popular culture for their own needs: fan fiction is a pushback on mainstream narratives in popular culture that cater to cis heterosexual men. I think this negative exclamation toward fan fiction and it's writers from my friend encapsulates the status of this literature type as being “pathetic”, infantile, or unsustainable as a credible work of art. However, I find it to be an incredible reclamation of power, where a community comes together to create stories for themselves within the genres they are most passionate about. Besides, as we discussed, fandoms and textual poaching is incredible for business and the popularity of the original text and inspiration. I’m sure we all remember our Percy Jackson years where many of us went beyond the books and started to actually learn Greek mythology and history out of interest— in reading this book, I feel the same interest arise in me once again and I even want to dust off my old Percy Jackson copies!
Defining fan fiction can be fickle as it depends on the genre and what “counts” as fan fiction can be debated intensely by so many. Objectively, I think Song of Achilles is clearly not a fan fiction, but in response to my friend’s reaction, I think considering it as such could help us understand the world of derivative writing and the policing of boundaries between high culture and low culture.
In telling this queer love story, Miller recontextualizes this classic piece of literature for a modern audience that breaks away from the mainstream standards that have long been prioritized. I still haven’t finished, but I’m so excited to see where the story will go.
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Paola Camacho