Medusa: The Girl Behind the Myth (Illustrated Gift Edition)

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I absolutely loved everything about this, Medusa has long been written about but, rarely (if ever) do we get to see Medusa’s Perpective. Where Burton brings life to the characters with her words, Olivia Lomenech Gill's brushstrokes do just as perfect a job. Oblivious to whether or not she was beautiful, until she was “accused” of being just that in the small village where she lived. Me encantó leer a esta medusa que en muchos relatos es tratada como monstruo, cuando realmente fue una mujer que sufrió la venganza de una Diosa. In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman--injured by a powerful man--is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault.

As is common with the myths, multiple versions exist and key figures can take on different meanings ( Joseph Campbell has even postulated the story of Perseus beheading Medusa is a quasi-historical metaphor of an actual invasion). Even when she stops taking to the waters to fish, Poseidon punishes her village with floods and storms.The feminist spin on the myth is absolutely incredible, with every possible problematic thought being challenged directly.

But you will find me when you need me, when the wind hears a woman’s cry and fills my sails forward.As the story unfolds and secrets are revealed Perseus and Medusa must make choices that will irrevocably change their lives forever. With unforgettable imagery and a powerhouse woman at the helm of the tale, this revamped myth is one to get on your bookshelf. For a young man, Perseus has sailed to her rocky island, having got lost at sea on his way to complete a mission. Jessie Burton: her book ‘is destined to become as much an artefact of our own age as it is an illumination of the ancient past’. I’d imagine that if I said the name Medusa to you, the picture that would immediately spring to mind would be of a wild eyed harridan, with snakes madly circling her head.

Medusa's first-person voice is formally distant, hinting at her inner turmoil and experiences with misogynistic double standards. That, yes, Perseus plays a part, but it’s really about Medusa’s view of herself, which she gradually bolsters, to survive and move forward to enjoy her life. Stheno and Euryale became immortal winged beings, while Medusa, the mortal sister, with hair replaced by snakes, received a further cruel warning.

Burton allows us to see and to believe that we contain multitudes, and that we can be the hero of our own story. I cannot wait to own a physical copy of this book so that I can annotate and highlight all of the beautiful and empowering quotes. Medusa by Jessie Burton gives us a compelling spin on the legend of the snake-haired girl whose gaze turns onlookers to stone.

So often, the woman or feminine model is a static vessel for the male evolution, and that’s something I wanted to counter in this version. Adding some canny twists and turns, Burton uses Medusa’s story to ruminate on themes ranging from the trauma of sexual assault and the toxicity of gender stereotyping to beauty ideals and female autonomy. Medusa has since been reclaimed as a feminist symbol, particularly one of women’s rage and associated with pushing back against toxic masculinity and sexual assault. She makes Perseus stay on the outside of the cave wall while they converse and ultimately get closer to each other. All we really know is that she’s a woman whose hair was turned into snakes, with a terrifying stare that turns men to stone.

It was such a privilege as an author to have these full-color pictures from Olivia, and she seemed to be able to just take everything and run with it. The gods have exiled Medusa to a remote island, with no one for company but the snakes she has for hair. The last chapter, especially, is so beautiful and true of life after healing and becoming one’s true self. i’m just really having a hard time wrapping my head around what part of this was supposed to be something new or interesting.