The Penelopiad: A satire?

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The Penelopiad: A satire?

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1lorannen
Jun 2, 2014, 12:00 pm

To what extent is The Penelopiad a satire of the various myths and legends associated with the events of The Iliad and The Odyssey?

2ritaer
Jun 3, 2014, 11:06 pm

I wouldn't exactly call it a satire--more an alternate view.

3DanaJean
Edited: Jun 3, 2014, 11:29 pm

The definition of satire is:

sat·ire
ˈsaˌtīr/Submit
noun
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

I would call it a satire. She pretty well did do everything right down that list.

4LoisB
Jun 4, 2014, 8:06 am

>3 DanaJean: I agree that it meets your definition. Perhaps, that's why I found it so enjoyable. :)

5matthewmason
Jun 4, 2014, 10:52 am

What did y'all think about Penelope and Helen:

"I've often wondered whether, if Helen hadn't been so puffed up with vanity, we might all have been spared the sufferings and sorrows she brought down on our heads by her selfishness and her deranged lust. Why couldn't she have led a normal life? But no — normal lives were boring, and helen was ambitious."

And when Telemachus lies to his mom about her beauty:

"I knew he was lying, but was touched that he was lying for my sake... Maybe he had some brains after all."

6Nialle
Jun 5, 2014, 12:51 am

>5 matthewmason: It's pretty central to this work that Helen, in Penelope's view, has played into the masculine view of women with, well, mixed success, while Penelope herself has fended off that view in order to work on what she sees as a legitimate female role: the stewardship of shared property, children, goals, struggles.

7medmond77
Jun 6, 2014, 8:37 am

I think it's satirical in the way it dresses down individuals and entities that, in their time, were revered more than anyone in the modern era. To pull back the curtain, if you will, on Helen (for example) makes this one of the best pieces of satire I've read.