The Penelopiad - Power, Sexuality and Weaving e-Book for iBooks

A detailed, 22-page e-Book on the background, key themes and characters of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad focusing on historical context, power, sexuality and weaving. Also provided in a powerpoint in case of any compatibility issues.

Created to give A-Level students the necessary background on The Odyssey and the roles of Penelope and Odysseus in Homer’s text, it looks at themes of power and sexuality in the original text, throughout history and the ways in which Atwood explores, challenges and expands on these.

The e-Book is divided into the following sections:
- Aristotle’s philosophical conceptions of power.
- Male power in The Odyssey, focusing on Odysseus, Telemachus and The Suitors, followed by a detailed analysis of how male power is represented in Homer’s text, looking in particular at storytelling as a male prerogative.
- Female power in The Odyssey, focusing on Penelope, the Maids, Circe and Calypso, and the threat of female power and sexuality.
- Context on the Virgin-Whore Dichotomy and the Femme Fatale in 20th Century Culture. This is developed into a discussion on the cultural conception of two Penelopes; the virgin and the whore.
- Detailed section on the Maids in both texts and their connection to Artemis and her 12 Moon Maidens.
- Does Penelope sleep with the suitors? An exploration of this question in Homer and Atwood’s texts.
- What other forms does female power take?: A look at inaction and weaving as key forms of female power.
- Penelope throughout History - An overview looking at Penelope in Ovid’s Heroides, 16th and 17th Century poetry and 21st Century film and theatre.
- How far does Atwood reject and rewrite the limiting portrayal of Penelope? - An exploration of what Atwood’s Penelopiad achieves. Contains critical quotations from Cixous, Stein and Gregersdottir.

Please note, the file will need to be opened and read in iBooks, which can be done on any iPad or iPhone, so works well for student revision on the go.