On the retelling of the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna in Anna In in the Tombs of the World by Olga Tokarczuk Rewriting mythological characters, tales and motifs is a popular strategy used in feminist literature from the late 20th century. Deconstructing sexist cultural canons, challenging gender normative narratives, subverting patriarchal values and offering new female perspectives are the main purposes. Within such a framework, the article analyzes the reinterpretation of the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna made by one of Poland’s most prominent writers. Olga Tokarczuk’s Anna In in the Tombs of the World employs such strategies as the modernization of the story, now set in a dystopian and futuristic world; the introduction of a few, but significant, changes in the myth structure; the syncretic fusion of themes and topics belonging to different eras and cultures; and the redefinition of the psychological meanings underlying the descent of the goddess into the underworld. Ultimately, the writer carries out a resemantization and refunctionalization of the original Sumerian myth based on a feminist and Jungian approach. Published in the mid‑2000s, the novel could be read as a critical voice in the context of the antifeminist backlash that took shape at that time in Poland and jeopardized feminist conquests gained to date.
Amenta, A. (2020). Wokół reinterpretacji sumeryjskiego mitu o bogini Inannie w Annie In w grobowcach świata Olgi Tokarczuk. In J.K. Amenta A. (a cura di), Boginie, bohaterki, syreny, pajęczyce. Polskie pisarki współczesne wobec mitów (pp. 125-148). Wydawnictwo Instytutu Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk.
Wokół reinterpretacji sumeryjskiego mitu o bogini Inannie w Annie In w grobowcach świata Olgi Tokarczuk
Amenta A
2020-01-01
Abstract
On the retelling of the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna in Anna In in the Tombs of the World by Olga Tokarczuk Rewriting mythological characters, tales and motifs is a popular strategy used in feminist literature from the late 20th century. Deconstructing sexist cultural canons, challenging gender normative narratives, subverting patriarchal values and offering new female perspectives are the main purposes. Within such a framework, the article analyzes the reinterpretation of the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna made by one of Poland’s most prominent writers. Olga Tokarczuk’s Anna In in the Tombs of the World employs such strategies as the modernization of the story, now set in a dystopian and futuristic world; the introduction of a few, but significant, changes in the myth structure; the syncretic fusion of themes and topics belonging to different eras and cultures; and the redefinition of the psychological meanings underlying the descent of the goddess into the underworld. Ultimately, the writer carries out a resemantization and refunctionalization of the original Sumerian myth based on a feminist and Jungian approach. Published in the mid‑2000s, the novel could be read as a critical voice in the context of the antifeminist backlash that took shape at that time in Poland and jeopardized feminist conquests gained to date.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.