Lunar Lecture series

The genre of contemporary feminist adaptations of Greek myth is popular and proliferating, with new books being added to the literary landscape almost daily in an attempt to match the voracious appetite that present-day readers have for familiar, ancient stories told in exciting, modern ways. Contemporary authors are using ancient myths to narrate contemporary concerns within feminism, including #MeToo, rape culture, and LGBTQ+ rights. They are also utilising the Greek gods and heroes to parse out concerns regarding the current crises of masculinity. This lecture will investigate how authors of some of the most popular Greek myth retellings, including Madeline Miller’s Circe, Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls, and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne, retell ancient myths in such a way that reflects contemporary masculinity. Moreover, how do these ancient authors contend with the legends of heroic men: do they uphold their heroic status, or do they judge their actions to be irreconcilable with modern ideologies that do not valorise violence in the same way?

Speaker Bio 

Shelby Judge is an Early Career Academic in Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Derby, where she researches digital feminist and popular feminist responses to INCELs and the Manosphere. She recently completed her PhD in English Literature at the University of Glasgow, for which she produced the thesis Contemporary Feminist Adaptations of Greek Myth. Due to the proliferating nature of this genre, Shelby’s work in this field is ongoing. She has published work on #MeToo and the Trojan War, 21^stCentury adaptations of Helen of Troy, transgender adaptations of Frankenstein, and transgender readings of Ovid. She is a regular contributor to the Literary Encyclopedia, for which she has written articles on the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy and Margaret Atwood, and a committee member for the Transatlantic Literary Women network, funded by the US Embassy and BAAS.

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