25/04/2024
Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad:
A Modern Twist on a Classical Myth
How much—or how little—has humanity changed in the last two thousand years?
The Odyssey, the epic poem narrating Odysseus’ struggles to return to his home and family after the Trojan War, and the countless temptations and perils he has to overcome to be reunited with his faithful wife Penelope, is one of the oldest stories in the Western culture. And it is one that is still widely read by modern audiences.
Why would a modern author still find this story worth telling? How might it change when narrated from a 21st century perspective? Would the story be the same if we were to hear it from Penelope’s lips? And what if those telling the story were Penelope’s maids?
In The Penelopiad, which has been translated into 28 languages and adapted for the stage, Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, gives the iconic myth a twist, exploring what happens behind the scene of the Odyssey in the voices of Penelope, in charge of the main narrative, and her maids, whose interventions are delivered in a variety of genres.
Join us in this six-week course as we read and discuss Atwood’s brief novella and the timeless human issues, shifting priorities and values it reflects.
WEDNESDAYS 6:30-8PM
MAY 15-JUNE 19
TAUGHT ONLINE VIA ZOOM
24,000 PESOS FOR THE 6 WEEK COURSE
[email protected]
Valeria Pietronave holds a teaching degree from IES Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramón Fernández, where she also did postgraduate work in Literature. She has extensive experience teaching Literature to students of different ages and levels, mostly in bilingual and international schools. Ever since she walked into a classroom at 18, she fell in love with teaching, and with the bubbling energy that discussing reading could generate. She firmly adheres to the view that books are the only proven means of living many lives in one. The experience of reading together, of constructing meaning through discussion, opens up minds, develops an understanding of humanity, and sparks creativity.
