For centuries, children’s and young adults literature has historically struggled regarding issues of gender representation. ‘As early as the eighteenth century, parents and educators have recognized books as a way to indoctrinate their children into socially sanctioned behaviors’ (Koslowsky), that place children into culturally prescribed gender roles; widely reinforcing societal expectations and limiting choices, particularly for girls.
The women depicted within mythology or traditional fairy tales, particularly highlight this disparity. Female protagonists within these are often historically relegated to passive roles lacking in autonomy, contrasting their male superiors that commonly associate with elements of the hero and Epic. Think about the first book that was ever read aloud to you as a girl who still hadn’t lost all her baby teeth. A damsel in distress. A man who adheres to the classic savour trope.
A happily ever after (ending in wedding bells and six children and eternal domestic servitude). A man once told me that he thought that all women did was think about men. Although obviously tainted in misogynistic untruth, it made me think; from birth women are programmed to think of men as the ‘end goal’. Marriage. Children. A life well lived. Why would we ever think anything else when the books of our childhood, the narratives that shaped our developing brains, are based solely on the completion of this ritual?
This is why modern retellings of these narratives are so important for empowerment. For feminism as an entirety. By awarding female characters increased autonomy, or by challenging the traditional stereotypes that have corroded literature for centuries, we prompt a re-evaluation of historic gender representation, and thus a re-evaluation of society as a whole. Beginning with Madeline Miller’s Circe below, I have curated a list of my top 3 narratives that adhere to this liberation of female passivity, featuring works that challenge historical gender expectations, and push the boundaries of traditional and societal literary norms.
Circe by Madeline Miller, 2018
One of my favourite narratives ever written, Madeline Miller’s Circe serves as a feminist revision of these historical gender expectations- subverting the traditional roles that were prevalent within Greek mythological literature, and re-envisioning Homer’s Epic, The Odyssey, from a feminine perspective.
In the original myth, Circe herself is depicted as an alluring figure, who ensnares Odysseus and his men, only to be domesticated through the intervention of male heroism. Miller, however, reimagines Circe as an autonomous protagonist, whose narrative challenges the traditional power structures embedded within patriarchal mythology. As Miller explains in her interview with The New York Times, Circe represents ‘the embodiment of male anxiety about female power’ which is why, in the traditional myth, she must be vanquished’ (Laseter). Miller’s retelling confronts this notion by granting Circe agency, transforming her from a passive figure within the male-dominated Odyssey, into a character capable of subverting patriarchal control.
Whilst Greek literature often portrayed assertive women as ‘lustful and domineering witches’ (Stratton), Miller utilises the patriarchal perception of Circe’s beauty to achieve her own ambitions. By playing upon male assumptions of her allure, she shifts the power dynamics, making Circe’s charm not a tool for male conquest, but for her own empowerment. In this way, Miller challenges the conventional depictions of women, who are often punished for their agency.
Unlike the female figures in the Odyssey, such as Penelope or Helen, whose lives revolve around the desires of male characters, Circe asserts control over her own destiny. Her isolation upon the island of Aiaia provides a space where she can explore her magical abilities- removed from the oppressive gaze of men and Gods.This deliberate separation from patriarchal structures- allows Circe to grow beyond the traditional passive roles of female protagonists, making the novel a crucial addition to this feminist reading list;
Aimed at young adults, it reimagines traditional gender hierarchies by presenting Circe as an autonomous figure resisting patriarchal control. Through its exploration of female agency, Circe encourages readers to challenge established gender roles, positioning Circe as the hero of her own story.
Following Circe, In the next review I explore Saba Sams’ Send Nudes: A crucial feminist reading that extends this interrogation of gender norms into the realm of contemporary girlhood- examining the restrictive social environments often tied with femininity, and illuminating how young women navigate, resist and redefine the identities imposed upon them.
-Lottie Horn
Volunteer Writer
Girl Museum
References:
Laseter, Sydney. Limited to the body: Madeline Miller’s Circe as a Feminist Revisionist Myth. 2020. University of Amsterdam, MA Dissertation.
Stratton, Kimberly B. Naming the Witch: Magic, Ideology, and Stereotype in the Ancient World. Columbia University Press, 2007.