Here’s another reason, in case you needed one, to pencil in plenty of reading time for 2006. Canongate Books has a new series, The Myths, in which famous authors rework ancient stories. And it’s very good news for those of you forced through uninspired teaching of Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey in high school. These are fantastic, accessible tales that never lose their appeal, and which should be more widely-read—and enjoyed—by successive generations.
The series launched in October with Myth, an introduction to the meaning and history of myth in human civilizations, by Karen Armstrong, quickly followed by a retelling of the myth of Odysseus and Penelope by Margaret Atwood and the story of Atlas and Heracles by Jeanette Winterson.
As is our wont, we skipped the intro and went straight to the stories, thinking that Armstrong might not do more than remind us that the retelling of ancient tales to make them more meaningful to a contemporary audience is a practice almost as old as storytelling itself.
Atwood and Winterson bring alive the old stories with vigour and humour, reminding us that a great narrative and characters transcends time and place.
In The Penelopiad, Atwood tackles a retake on Homer’s Odyssey. But rather than telling the story from the point of view of the well-known hero who sails off to fight the Trojan Wars. Atwood’s protagonist is Odysseus’ multi-tasking wife Penelope, who’s left at home with troublesome guests, a teenager with ‘tude, and a heap of sewing while her husband goes off a twenty-year business trip, half of which is spent finding his way home, waylaid by the occasional monster or tempting goddess.
In her telling of the events, the long-suffering Penelope attempts to put to rest the rumours that she’s been messing around while her husband’s away, and that she was involved, upon Odysseus’ return, in the brutal murder of her twelve maids. But Penelope’s motives aren’t crystal clear and ultimately, it’s hard to say whether we’re talking Little Women or Desperate Housewives.
With Weight, Winterson takes on the story of Atlas, the unlucky Titan who was forced by the gods to take on the weight of the world as punishment for helping the puny human race (to whom his brother Prometheus gave the gift of fire). It’s a burden he loathes, but a duty to which he’s bound, a sad fact he’s forced to accept after he messes up the chance to turn a temporary respite, courtesy of Hercules, into long-term escape. It’s got all of Winterson’s trademark biting wit, and is a vibrant, compelling retake on a tale that’s as old as man.
Vicky Sanderson is a Toronto-based writer whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star and a variety of other publications.
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