Comments on: The Penelopiad

By: mathumathi

mathumathi — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:44:16 +0000

I have a passion for myths and became so obsessed with the retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. What disturbs me is the hanging of the maids and Penelope remaining silent.The maids are used as objects of sex, pleasure and entertainment by a woman. They fall a victim not only to wrath of a men like Odysseus and Telemachus but also fall a prey to the selfishness of a ‘woman of nobility’ who who keeps quiet to save her honour. Readers like me find it hard to accept the brutal killing of the maids.

By: GER

GER — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:17:07 +0000

I enjoyed this retelling of a story I studied at school. It is interesting to think about how many myths have been lost, especially when societies went from matriarch to patriarch leadership.

I enjoyed the maids acting as a choir, very Greek.

The ending was a bit lacklustre, but overall a book I would recommend to others.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:28:40 +0000

I actually created a senior elective called (pompously) “World Myth Through the Postmodernist Lens” just so I could read this book with students. It’s a popular course that includes other Canongate publications (Armstrong’s brilliantly concise A Short History of Myth and Winterson’s Weight). Atwood’s work is by far the highlight, and that’s not just the expatriate Canadian side of me talking. She’s also a hell of a goal tender — seriously, Youtube it; it’s hilarious.

By: Fairness « Smithereens

Fairness « Smithereens — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:10:44 +0000

[...] of Homer’s Odysseus seen through his wife’s eyes. This novel is part of a fascinating collection by Canongate Publishing, where contemporary authors are asked to re-write about mythology figures. At the time I read it, I [...]

By: Nitin Batra

Nitin Batra — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:02:57 +0000

I think that Odysseus had the maids killed because the maids knew that Penelope had not been faithful, and Odysseus, in denial of Penelope’s unfaithfulness, wanted to eliminate the witnesses.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:19:23 +0000

Penelope’s descriptions of her cousin Helen reminds me some of Zenia, the robber bride of an earlier novel by Margaret Atwood. It’s a shame that stereotypically beautiful women have such a nasty way about them but it certainly rings with some unfortunate truth. Looking forward to my next free evening with another masterpiece in this Myth series!

By: Spencer

Spencer — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:04:12 +0000

This is a great retelling. It’s similar in concept to Christa Woolf’s retelling of Medea (another great myth that is, unfortunately, not a part of this series). The new take on Penelope is told with a lot of style and is very entertaining while simultaneously being enlightening and engageing. This is the first Margaret Atwood book I’ve read and I’m now a fan. I especially enjoyed the chapter of this book that discusses the maidens and their fate. Very interesting and compelling!

By: Dorothy Valencia

Dorothy Valencia — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:26:24 +0000

I have just finished reading The Penelopiad, and I was moved. Her telling brought a feeling of universality and unending relevance to the myth, and also served as a reminder of the inherent truths that make humans humans. Some of them have remained otherwise neglected or dismissed, maybe they could be seen as too scandalous for today’s reserved culture. I am speaking about a matriarchal society. No – I’m not a feminist, as a matter of fact – I ten d to be in disagreement with feminist thought.
Thank you Ms. Atwood for shedding a light of humanity on a 3 thousand year old mystery where all we can visualize are marble statues beyond our reach of understanding!