(Re)Telling the Myth of Medusa
A Rhetorical Analysis From the Perspective of the MeToo Movement and Beyond
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10195229 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alexandra C Sladky (First Year Writing, Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 207-213 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Popular Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3840 • E-ISSN: 1540-5931 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jpcu.70004 |
| OpenAlex | W4411938960 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
Recent retellings of the myth of Medusa portray her as a feminist icon and a sexual assault survivor. This paper uses a feminist rhetorical lens to juxtapose three texts: one by a man, Luciano Garbati's (2008) sculpture, Medusa with the Head of Perseus, and two short stories by women, Pat Barker's (2019) Medusa and Nina MacLaughlin's (2019) Medusa . Garbati's sculpture first appears subversive, reimagining Medusa as the victor over Perseus; however, his sculpture presents her story through the male gaze and fails to shift the narrative's perspective. Barker and MacLaughlin, in contrast, upend the traditional narrative and reclaim Medusa's silenced voice through a shift in narrative perspective. These authors' interpretations impact how readers receive the messages of their stories. For this reason, there is a great need for artists to reinterpret stories to offer criticisms of similar myths. Only through these criticisms is it possible to make space for other cultures, perspectives, and voices in challenging sexual assault, sexism, and misogyny
Aesthetics · Art · Literature · Movement (music · Mythology · Perspective (graphical · Rhetorical question · Sociology · Visual arts · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · History · Interdisciplinary Studies: Technology, Society, and Humanities · Media, Religion, Digital Communication
| Highly cited | No |
|---|