Listening to the voiceless: Briseis and Lavinia in modern fiction.
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Research on female characters from ancient epic has steadily increased over the years and
especially in recent times. Despite this, research on the female characters Briseis and Lavinia from
Homer’s Iliad and Vergil’s Aeneid, and their reception in modern fiction, has been somewhat
neglected in Classical scholarship. I will examine Homer’s Briseis and Vergil’s Lavinia, as well as
their depictions in the modern novels The Silence of the Girls (2018) and Lavinia (2008) by authors
Pat Barker and Ursula K. Le Guin respectively, focusing specifically on themes of objectification
and subjectivity.
My examination will be aided and informed by two main theories, in addition to Reception Studies
theory: Martha Nussbaum’s theory concerning objectification and Monique Wittig’s gender theory
involving subjectivity, structure and personal pronouns. The main reason I believe this topic is
important lies in the modern engagement with ancient texts, as evident in the modern works chosen
for this dissertation. The works of ancient Greek and Roman authors, such as Homer and Vergil,
have gripped the attention of audiences since they were created and have spawned hundreds of
receptions. In more recent years, female authors have acted to create their own interpretations of
these ancient works, focusing especially on marginalised or demonised women. These modern
receptions involving a female-centric narrative are especially significant given the current social
climate of feminist movements. The topic of this dissertation is therefore of importance as its focus
on two marginalised female characters and themes of objectification and subjectivity may
contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding the place of ancient texts and Classics as a
discipline in modern society.
Chapter 1 will focus on Briseis from Homer’s epic with Chapter 2 focusing on Briseis from
Barker’s novel, The Silence of the Girls, while Chapter 3 will focus solely on Lavinia from Vergil’s
epic with Chapter 4 focusing on Lavinia from Le Guin’s novel, Lavinia. This dissertation will be
my contribution to the scholarship on female characters in ancient Greek and Roman epics and their
modern receptions.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.