Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
12-2025
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Rachel Mazzara
Committee Members
Joshua Reid, Michael Cody
Abstract
My thesis is an examination of how adaptations and retellings of mythology are written and affected by readership and reception of mythology. I compare American Gods by Neil Gaiman and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood and how they are written as adaptations and retellings of mythology. As seen in both novels, the presence of the mythological source material in adaptations and retellings of mythology is equally influenced by authors’ perception and the influence of readership. Approaching the ideological positions of Atwood and Gaiman through the similarities and differences of The Penelopiad and American Gods provides a deeper insight on the telling of a myth in a way that molds the pre-existing mythological sources into something new and enriches the existing narrative, offering insight into the practice of writing adaptations and retellings of mythology for future creative writers.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Sanderson, Haley, "Bias and the Writing Process in Adaptations and Retellings of Mythology" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4623. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4623
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Fiction Commons, Women's Studies Commons
