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Bombshells/Penelopiad (Story Telling (The hanged maids tale (The maids…
Bombshells/Penelopiad
Story Telling
Times of crisis
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Characters are faced with the moment in which their lives become less stable or what they have relied on or known starts to fail them
Bombshells - The theme described in the "author's note" of "women on the edge" unites the 6 characters
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The voice, Murray Smith gives to each woman, expresses the challenges that can be faced externally but also more significantly how difficult it can be to verbalise and deal emotionally with what happens to their security and belief in self
In Atwoods retelling of Homeric myth "women speak" and what they speak of are not "heroes and incredible feats" but the "inhumanly human things" done in war time.
The effect is to subvert (undermine) the archaic, heroic, masculine perspective of the source text by countering it, with an ironic modern sounding female voice
Atwood debunks the version of the story found in the odyssey by suggesting a more prosaic, less heroic alternative
The hanged maids tale
The maids increasingly interrupt the narrative of Penelope they denounce the "inhuman things" done to them by Odysseus and expose the partiality of Penelope's story
Their voices are witty parodic, tongue in cheek but also plaintiff and haunting
They form a chorus, (linked to ancient Greek drama) and provide a plurality of perspectives
Penelopes narrative is interspersed with snippets from the maids point of view of how they were treated
Their voice often changes as it mimics several genre styles at times it appears playful and fun and at others it is outraged and sorrowful
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The voice given to the maids provides an outlet for the marginalised and allows them to seek justice and vengeance
The ever changing form of the maids sections reduces their weight and significance in comparison to Penelope and diminishes their status as serious characters
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Rather than resisting the authority of her mythical sources, Attwood goes around it by probing them for what they leave unsaid
Thus Penelope and Attwood "spins a thread of her own" on her mythical loom while the heroes of Homeric myth are left to revel, womanise, and slaughter outside
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Role of Women
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Post Feminist Literature
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Post feminists are sexual activists who use their body and attractiveness as an instrument to achieve societal and personal change
Murray Smith 's windows into womanhood in a post feminist society show how easily modern women can disappear inside the impossible pressure to be great
Post Feminism concentrates on furthering the idea of empowerment, the celebration of femininity , freedom of choice and liberation
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These pro feminist themes continually encourage the audience to evaluate the situation of women in society
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These interrelated narratives suggest a close community network in which women measure themselves against other women
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Social expectations
Many of the women define themselves in their relations with others and when these relationships break down through either divorce or death or being on stage so does their concept of self.
Feeds insecurities
Mary epitomises the generalisations associated with teenage girls having total belief in ones self and ones abilities
Tiggly enthwhistles halting monologue is continually interrupted by a pause or beat as she struggles to compose herself or to reveal a painful truth
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Contrast is drawn out by Attwood in a series of binary opposites and in the personal antagonism in the underworld
As the daughter of a Niad Penelope has a close infinity with water, her way is not to challenge but to find a way to get what she wants with her cunningness
Patriarchal Society
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The use of Penelope's voice as the narrator allows us to see how completely she outwits many of the men around her and that she is conscious of others perceptions of her (but we are aware of her regrets and defence of her actions)
As the underdogs in a society dominated by men, the women of ancient Greece competed with each other to be heard, noticed or to sustain what little power they had
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Two faces of war
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Illiad is spoken from males perception on war, whereas the Penelopiad is a woman depiction of war
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Black humour and humour is used frequently throughout the play to lighten the atmosphere and temper what would otherwise be a heavy or tense moment
Crafted narratives offering multiple perspectives, giving voices to those who are often silenced and power to the disempowered
Unlike Bombshells, The Penelopiad is based on a hypotext which is an earlier text that serves as a source for a later work of literature
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Cunning, Resourcefulness, Determination to return home
Atwood reworks her male authored sources in much the same way that Penelope deals with the overbearing men in her life
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Humor and sarcasm add a new perspective that challenges the idea that Penelope is just a loyal and subservient wife.
Although the changing style of the maids voice may cause the reader to dismiss or gloss over their silliness in true Greek theatre their voice is the most authoritative
Attwood draws on the archetypes of women in literature and challenges societal notions of these women as passive, victims or villains
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