Greek mythology retelling is a

literary genre A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by List of narrative techniques, literary technique, Tone (literature), tone, Media (communication), content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from mor ...

where stories from classic

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

are retold, placed in either a contemporary or

futuristic The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently e ...

setting. Stories from this genre aim to combine mythological themes like birth, death, and love with modern philosophies of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

and

empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

History

One of the first examples of the genre is ''

The Penelopiad ''The Penelopiad'' is a novella by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. It was published in 2005 as part of the first set of books in the '' Canongate Myth Series'' where contemporary authors rewrite ancient myths. In ''The Penelopiad'', Penelope rem ...

'' (2005) written by

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

that tells the events of Homer's ''The Odyssey'', specifically the tragedy of Penelope, in the 21st century. The book was part of the ''

Canongate Myth Series The ''Canongate Myth Series'' is a series of novellas published by the independent Scottish publisher Canongate Books, in which ancient myths from various cultures are reimagined and rewritten. The project was conceived in 1999 by Jamie Byng, own ...

'' where contemporary authors rewrite ancient myths."World's top writers recruited to rewrite ancient tales"
CBC.ca, 21 October 2005. Another influential series in the genre is

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Jr. ( ; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million cop ...

's '' Percy Jackson series'', which tells the story of Greek gods and their children living in the modern world. Subsequent series tackling other myths like Norse and Egyptian were also published by Riordan.

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...

also published a book entitled ''

Lavinia In Roman mythology, Lavinia ( ; ) is the daughter of Latinus and Amata, and the last wife of Aeneas. Creation It has been proposed that the character was in part intended to represent Servilia Isaurica, Emperor Augustus's first fiancée. Story ...

'' (2008) that retells the story of the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

'' through the eyes of a minor female character,

. Madeline Miller's ''

The Song of Achilles ''The Song of Achilles'' is a 2011 novel by American writer Madeline Miller. Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is a retelling of the Trojan War as told from the perspective of Patroclus. The novel follows Patroclus' relationship with Achilles ...

'' (2011) became the first book to be coined the term. Although the series takes place in the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

, the book gained popularity for its focus on LGBTQ+ relationships. Another popular book was ''

Mythos Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

'' (2017) by

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

which is composed of several Greek tales retold and modernized. Recently, the genre was put into scrutiny during the release of the controversial book ''Crown of Starlight'' by Cait Corran. Other examples include: * ''

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

'' by

Madeline Miller Madeline Miller (born July 24, 1978) is an American novelist, author of '' The Song of Achilles'' (2011) and ''Circe'' (2018). Miller spent ten years writing ''The Song of Achilles'' while she worked as a teacher of Latin and Greek. The novel tel ...

* ''

Lore Olympus ''Lore Olympus'' is a Romance comics, romance webcomic created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe. The comic is a modern retelling of the relationship between the Greek goddess and god Persephone and Hades. Originally published to Smythe's Tumbl ...

'' by Rachel Smythe * '' A Thousand Ships'' by

Natalie Haynes Natalie Louise Haynes (born 1974) is an English writer, broadcaster, Classics, classicist, and comedian. Early life Haynes was born in Birmingham, where she attended the private King Edward VI High School for Girls. She grew up in Bournville. ...

* ''

The Silence of the Girls ''The Silence of the Girls'' is a 2018 novel by English novelist Pat Barker. It recounts the events of the ''Iliad'' chiefly from the point of view of Briseis. Plot summary The plot begins when Greeks led by Achilles sack Lyrnessus, describi ...

'' by

Pat Barker Dame Patricia Mary W. Barker ( Drake; born 8 May 1943) is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres on themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. She is known for her Regeneration Trilogy, p ...

References

{{Reflist Speculative fiction Genres Literary genres

Retelling Retelling, in media studies and literary studies, is the production of a derivative work that is substantially based on an earlier work but that presents the story differently. In literature Retelling, in literature, refashions a story in a way ...