brokentune's Review of The Penelopiad (Myths) (Text Myth) (Canons)

by Margaret Atwood

We want to tell the story again. For thousands of years, myths have captured imaginations, helping us to make sense of the world. Now, some of the world's leading authors have been inspired to reread and retell their favourite myths. It is backed by an international marketing and PR campaign. A national media partner is already lined up in the UK. Margaret Atwood is the bestselling author of "Oryx and Crake", which has sold over 100,000 copies. "Now that all the others have run out of air, it's my turn to do a little story-making." In Homer's account in "The Odyssey", Penelope - wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy - is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife, her story a salutary lesson through the ages. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan war after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumours, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home after enduring hardships, overcoming monsters and sleeping with goddesses, he kills her suitors and - curiously - twelve of her maids.
In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged Maids, asking: 'What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?'. In Atwood's' dazzling, playful retelling, the story becomes as wise and compassionate as it is haunting, and as wildly entertaining as it is disturbing. With wit and verve, drawing on the storytelling and poetic talent for which she herself is renowned, she gives Penelope new life and reality - and sets out to provide an answer to an ancient mystery.

The Penelopiad is another installment of the Canongate Myths Series.

In this installment, Margaret Atwood turns her hand to the story of Odysseus and tells the story of The Odyssey and The Iliad from the perspective of Penelope, Odysseus' wife.

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to read an Atwood version of Homer's anthem to heroism, it was fun. I read this whilst waiting at the garage. Apparently, my chuckling along persuaded the elderly gentleman next to me to co-read while waiting for our cars to be ready.

My favourite chapter had the title "Helen Ruins My Life", which was of course about Helen of Troy being a total tramp and running off with Paris, which in turn caused Odysseus to leave Penelope and join the war against Troy.

"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. She wanted to make a name for herself. She longed to stand out from the herd."

Anyway it was an entertaining read and - as usual for Atwood - emphasised a few new perspectives on an old classic.

"It's surprising how many women there are in the Odyssey and they all help Odysseus, which is why I made him so charming. He's the kind of guy women like - he has a lovely voice, he takes an interest in them, he understands human nature. That's why he's so persuasive: he doesn't get his way by force, he's not a thug. He was fun to be around. That's why Penelope is sad he's not there. He's helped by women at every turn: by Helen in The Iliad, and by all the goddesses he meets along the way in the Odyssey. And then there's Penelope holding the fort while he's away. That's the kind of guy he was."

(Margaret Atwood interviewed in The Guardian, 26. Oct. 2005)

The Penelopiad (Myths) (Text Myth) (Canons)

by Margaret Atwood

Reviewed by brokentune on Nov 30, 2015

Reading updates