Ancient Greece having survived uninterruptedly through centuries, consists an incontestably cultural capital of overriding importance for the global community and especially for Greece itself. Mythical elements usuall...Ancient Greece having survived uninterruptedly through centuries, consists an incontestably cultural capital of overriding importance for the global community and especially for Greece itself. Mythical elements usually become frameworks or structures, in which Greek literary tradition encodes Greek national virtues and promotes nationalistic goals. On the other hand, myth＇s adaptations to different chrono-topes generate diversified cultural reception, adjusted to the era and the audience＇s expectations. The mythical figures are constantly invested in different conceptual schemata, which correspond to the altered way of thinking. Myth is also usually embedded in or underlies fantasy genre, which becomes a vehicle for utterances on women＇s rights. In this paper, we are going to examine closely three ＂fantasy＂ novels for children with mythical intertextual elements： The Fortunate lsles （1989）, Torch （1987）, and Sirena （1998）, whose plot takes place in Greece and we will try to explore： （1） how is Greekness being perceived and presented; and （2） how is female identity being introjected or depicted, in order to find out if the subversive potential of the fantasy genre reworks and rationalizes femininity and Greekness, which have for so long been exploited by the patriarchal or nationalistic status quo.展开更多
文摘Ancient Greece having survived uninterruptedly through centuries, consists an incontestably cultural capital of overriding importance for the global community and especially for Greece itself. Mythical elements usually become frameworks or structures, in which Greek literary tradition encodes Greek national virtues and promotes nationalistic goals. On the other hand, myth＇s adaptations to different chrono-topes generate diversified cultural reception, adjusted to the era and the audience＇s expectations. The mythical figures are constantly invested in different conceptual schemata, which correspond to the altered way of thinking. Myth is also usually embedded in or underlies fantasy genre, which becomes a vehicle for utterances on women＇s rights. In this paper, we are going to examine closely three ＂fantasy＂ novels for children with mythical intertextual elements： The Fortunate lsles （1989）, Torch （1987）, and Sirena （1998）, whose plot takes place in Greece and we will try to explore： （1） how is Greekness being perceived and presented; and （2） how is female identity being introjected or depicted, in order to find out if the subversive potential of the fantasy genre reworks and rationalizes femininity and Greekness, which have for so long been exploited by the patriarchal or nationalistic status quo.
