![]() ![]() Projection onto the mythic archetypes of Persephone and Demeter allow a woman to explore these repressed emotions and experiences objectively while simultaneously extending her own conscious. That Persephone literally descends to the Underworld in the myth could be seen to represent the way woman represses conflicts of her adolescence in order to be a better mother figure. Applying a Jungian psychoanalytic viewpoint to the narratives gives the Underworld a new perspective: representing the unconscious mind. Her experiences once she has descended to the Underworld are undescribed only through parallels with the experiences of other females in the narrative, particularly those of her mother Demeter, is Persephone’s maturation supposedly brought to light. Yet, the archetypal figure with whom women should empathise in this process, the daughter Persephone, has a shadowy, incorporeal presence in the myth. ![]() In representing woman at both extremes of her life, that of maiden turned mother, this myth grew to represent the process of women’s maturation, both socially and psychoanalytically. The capability of woman’s body, seemingly without cause, to create and possibly destroy life within her seemed to mankind akin to the mystery of the seed in the soil this eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth eventually became symbolized through the myth of the Grain Mother Demeter and the loss, and return, of her daughter, Persephone. The mystery of woman has captured the imaginations of humanity since before the dawn of agriculture. The thesis highlights these possible points of overlap, and indicates possible points of departure for future research. The research shows that authors of Young Adult literature also take inspiration from ancient material such as the Greek myths, as these are, to a certain degree, also concerned with issues important to adolescent readers, like coming of age, first love, or parent-child relationship. This is also true for the extent to which the aforementioned metanarratives are represented in the retellings. However, the degree, to which characters or events from the myth are adopted, varies to a considerable amount. In general both novels incorporate aspects of the myth in their plots, and the authors use certain techniques, such as paratextual references, to achieve an even closer connection to the mythology. The discussion of the primary literature takes these considerations into account, and is mainly concerned with the intertextual relations between the Persephone myth and its modern retellings. One reason for this is that YAL, as a specific literary field, is merely a few decades old, thus, compared to other areas, relatively new. Although Greek mythology has been a topic explored by various scholars, not only in connection to literary studies, but also in regard to modern art or history, academic reviews of it as theme in YAL have so far been limited. These theories are further extended with an examination of certain concepts of gender theory, such as, agency, power relations, and gender systems, as these are notions important to the discussion of patriarchal metanarratives found in the source material. The use of mythological intertexts in Young Adult Literature (YAL) is also of interest here. In this regard the concept of intertextuality is traced back to its origins in Bakthin’s theories, and to the ideas of French scholars Gerard Genette and Michael Riffaterre. This thesis examines how Greek mythology, a topic that has already enjoyed popularity in Western literature for a long time, is incorporated into literature for young adults, specifically focusing on two novels that retell the Persephone myth: Abandon by Meg Cabot and The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter. ![]()
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