Medea : a modern retelling / Christa Wolf ; translated from the German by John Cullen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolf, Christa.

Language:

English

German

Genre:

Fiction.

Physical Description:

xvi, 186 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition in the U.S.A.

Place of Publication:

New York : Nan A. Talese, [1998]

Summary:

Medea is among the most notorious women in the canon of Greek tragedy: a woman scorned who, through Euripides' interpretation, sacrifices her own children to her jealous rage. In this novel, Christa Wolf overthrows the myth, sketching a portrait of Medea that transcends rigid and untested prejudices which have been carved into Western consciousness for thousands of years. Fiercely independent, Medea leaves her corrupt homeland and arrives in Corinth with her husband, the hero Jason. He is welcomed, but she is branded an outsider. When she discovers the appalling secret behind the king of Corinth's claim to power, Medea is unwilling to ignore this horrifying truth and becomes a threat to the king and his ruthless advisers. Abandoned by Jason and made a public scapegoat, she is reviled as a witch and a murderess. Long a sharp-eyed political observer, Christa Wolf transforms this ancient tale into a startlingly relevant and keen commentary on the struggle for power between men and women in a time not unlike our own.

ISBN:

0385490607

OCLC:

37109196