A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles
Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (2011) is an imaginative rewriting of Homer’s Iliad. The writer uses the strategy of transfocalization and enters the text from the point of view of Patroclus. His fresh look offers a new critical perspective both on the moral world of the epic and on Achilles,...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Institute of English Studies
2021-09-01
|
| Series: | Anglica. An International Journal of English Studies |
| Subjects: |
| _version_ | 1819002133339439104 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria Antonietta Struzziero |
| author_facet | Maria Antonietta Struzziero |
| author_sort | Maria Antonietta Struzziero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (2011) is an imaginative rewriting of Homer’s Iliad. The writer uses the strategy of transfocalization and enters the text from the point of view of Patroclus. His fresh look offers a new critical perspective both on the moral world of the epic and on Achilles, the great Greek hero whose complex personality and tragic hubris Patroclus observes with emotional understanding. Miller transforms the Homeric sparing narrative of the friendship between Patroclus and Achilles into a touching love story built on their mutual devotion, and locates this narrative at the heart of a world of ruthless violence. This paper will consider the writer’s use of hypertextual adaptation in the novel from the perspective of the change in the narrative focus of the source, and discuss her objectives and methodology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:00:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f3368fca2fd4dd6bf9ec2d5666cb150 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0860-5734 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:00:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Institute of English Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Anglica. An International Journal of English Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f3368fca2fd4dd6bf9ec2d5666cb1502022-12-21T19:24:01ZengInstitute of English StudiesAnglica. An International Journal of English Studies0860-57342021-09-0130113315210.7311/0860-5734.30.1.09A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of AchillesMaria Antonietta Struzzierohttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3783-6832Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (2011) is an imaginative rewriting of Homer’s Iliad. The writer uses the strategy of transfocalization and enters the text from the point of view of Patroclus. His fresh look offers a new critical perspective both on the moral world of the epic and on Achilles, the great Greek hero whose complex personality and tragic hubris Patroclus observes with emotional understanding. Miller transforms the Homeric sparing narrative of the friendship between Patroclus and Achilles into a touching love story built on their mutual devotion, and locates this narrative at the heart of a world of ruthless violence. This paper will consider the writer’s use of hypertextual adaptation in the novel from the perspective of the change in the narrative focus of the source, and discuss her objectives and methodology.madeline millerachillespatroclushomerhypertextualityiliadre-writingtraumalovedeath |
| spellingShingle | Maria Antonietta Struzziero A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles Anglica. An International Journal of English Studies madeline miller achilles patroclus homer hypertextuality iliad re-writing trauma love death |
| title | A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles |
| title_full | A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles |
| title_fullStr | A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles |
| title_short | A New Voice for an Ancient Story: Speaking from the Margins of Homer’s Iliad in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles |
| title_sort | new voice for an ancient story speaking from the margins of homer s iliad in madeline miller s the song of achilles |
| topic | madeline miller achilles patroclus homer hypertextuality iliad re-writing trauma love death |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariaantoniettastruzziero anewvoiceforanancientstoryspeakingfromthemarginsofhomersiliadinmadelinemillersthesongofachilles AT mariaantoniettastruzziero newvoiceforanancientstoryspeakingfromthemarginsofhomersiliadinmadelinemillersthesongofachilles |