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Abstract
Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad (2005) has attempted to reinscribe the stereotypical character of Penelope from Homer's Odyssey (circa 800 BC). Her character has been presented as a prototype of faithful wife for the women of her times and, later on, throughout several generations, and across many boundaries and cultures in contrast with her heroic and legendary husband who was never questioned for his failure to fulfill the responsibilities of a husband and a father. This study focuses on how Penelope confronts Homer's "nobler" version of her character that has glossed over the seamy side of her troubled life contextualized by her experiences with her father in Sparta, and with her husband and son in Ithaca. The retelling asserts how the "divine" queen has been ostracized right from her childhood. She was a plain girl and a woman conforming to the patriarchal standards but her wealth turned her into a prize for her husband and treasure trove for the suitors who besieged her day to day life. Her post-body narration from the Hades, as her soul is now free from the earthly limitations and obligations, provides her free space for the expression of her concerns. By suspending readers' disbelief, the narrative challenges the preconceived notions and images of The Odyssey. Her weaving of the King Laertes', Odysseus' father, shroud has been considered as a web of deception and commended as a trick to save her grace, secure her son's vulnerability and defend her husband's estate. Where The Odyssey is in praise of Odysseus and his adventures, The Penelopiad is all about Penelope and her real self.
Key Words: canon, rewriting/retelling, patriarchy, absences
Introduction
This essay is based on my unpublished doctoral research in which I have studied the purpose of rewritings as "re-righting" of the absences found in the Western classic texts that have been taken as prototype for patriarchal and colonial discourse and where the voice, identity and representation of the marginalized are absent. The absences have been presented as "others" lacking any tangible human identity. Their images have been standardized in accordance with the colonial and patriarchal norms. These normative mispresentations are through the gaze of the domineering Other who attaches a fabricated image to the subservient other (Baig, 2012).
Penelope's character...