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Abstract:
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This project explores the idea of retelling classical myths. Greek myths have survived in
both their original form and as retold versions since the earliest ages of written texts.
This project uses four classical Greek myths as the basis for four modem short stories to
illustrate the universality of themes and structures of classical myths. These four
stories reflect the ideologies of the modem realism movement in fiction, as well as
highlighting the way classical myths survive through their inherent capacity to be retold
while retaining their original appeal.
All of the stories in this project are based on myths found in Ovid's poem,
Metamorphoses. Perfume for Catananche retells Ovid's version of the Orpheus myth
with a focus on the love story inherent in the tale. Set in a fictional future on an earthlike
planet colonized by humans, the setting most resembles an idealized ancient Greece
with warm breezes, fragrant gardens and no mention of mechanical devices to distract the
characters from their relationships with each other. The Singing Lesson is a tale of a
goddess's revenge. A retelling of the Arachne story, it relates the tale of an opera diva
and her ungrateful protege. A Stone Wall is based on an episode in Ovid's poem
involving an unwelcome, talkative witness to Hermes's crime of stealing Apollo's cattle.
The last story, An Amazing Weekend, uses a portion of Ovid's poem titled "The Raven
and the Crow" as the theme for a new story centered on the uses and pitfalls of both
getting and giving advice. Love, revenge, murder and gossip are themes that fueled
stories in ancient times and yet still make for entertaining short stories told in modern terms. |
