Author: Daniel Nisa Cáceres, Departamento de Filología y Traducción (Department of Philology and Translation), Universidad Pablo de Olavide - Academia.edu, Google Scholar, ORCID, ResearchGate

Abstracts:
- »Sexualised violence is one of the central mythemes in Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, Virgil’s Aeneid and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, as both gods and men predate lesser female divinities and female mortals, regardless of their age. Downplayed, taken for granted, normalised, or even sanctioned and legitimised under the male-centred auspices of the classical tradition, unconsented sex, sexual assault and rape have recently found their way into a plethora of female-authored reimaginings which not only provide an unheard-of centrality to marginal female characters and myths with hardly any previous voice or visibility, but also revise and undermine unexamined paradigms of (un)acceptable (wo)manhood. It is in this light that this paper reads Elizabeth Cook’s Achilles (2001), Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (2018), Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne (2021) and Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind (2022) through the critical lens of rape myths, rape culture and consent culture.« (Source: Article)

- »In Daniel Nisa Cáceres' "Rape Culture and Consent in Contemporary Anglophone Women’s Rewritings of the Classical Tradition," the reader finds an incisive analysis of how modern women authors reinterpret classical myths to challenge and subvert the traditional narratives of sexual violence and consent. By examining works such as Elizabeth Cook’s Achilles (2001), Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (2018), Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne (2021), and Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind (2022), the paper underscores the critical importance of these reimaginings in addressing rape culture and promoting a culture of consent. One of the article’s strengths is its critical engagement with the concept of rape myths, which are pervasive false beliefs about rape that perpetuate victim-blaming and minimize the severity of sexual violence. Nisa Cáceres effectively situates these myths within the broader context of classical literature, highlighting how ancient texts often normalized and legitimized sexual violence. By doing so, a compelling framework for considering how contemporary rewritings seek to dismantle these harmful narratives is provided.
The analysis of Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls is particularly illuminating. Nisa Cáceres discusses how Barker foregrounds the experiences of Briseis and other Trojan women, who are depicted not merely as victims but as individuals with agency and resilience. This shift in perspective is crucial for challenging the dehumanizing portrayal of women in classical texts and for emphasizing their humanity and dignity. Barker's narrative exposes the intersectionality of sexual violence, showing how women from all social backgrounds suffer under patriarchal oppression.
Similarly, the article’s discussion of Elizabeth Cook’s Achilles sheds light on how Cook reinterprets the character of Helen and other mythological figures to critique the systemic nature of sexual violence. By portraying Helen’s rape and subsequent objectification, Cook invites readers to reconsider the long-held assumptions about her culpability and agency. This narrative strategy not only humanizes Helen but also critiques the cultural and literary traditions that have historically silenced and misrepresented her story. In examining Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne , Nisa Cáceres evinces how these authors reclaim the stories of Medusa and other female characters, presenting them as figures of strength and resilience. Haynes’ portrayal of Medusa, in particular, challenges the traditional monster narrative by revealing the injustices she endured and her victimization by the gods. This reimagining serves to debunk the myth that victims of sexual violence are to blame for their suffering and instead emphasizes the importance of understanding and empathy.
The paper also addresses the broader implications of these contemporary rewritings for feminist theory and cultural critique. By aligning their creative works with feminist and gender theory, these authors not only challenge androcentric representations of rape but also promote a culture of consent. This alignment underscores the transformative potential of literature to change cultural attitudes towards sexual violence and to advocate for a more just and equitable society. Largely, "Rape Culture and Consent in Contemporary Anglophone Women’s Rewritings of the Classical Tradition" is a vibrant contribution to this volume, as Nisa Cáceres' article provides a methodical examination of how modern women authors use classical myths to address and subvert rape culture. By foregrounding the voices and experiences of marginalized characters, these rewritings offer powerful critiques of historical and contemporary attitudes towards sexual violence, thereby fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexities of consent and agency.« (Source: Alonso-Almeida, Francisco, and Carmen Luján-García. »Setting the context for 'Crossing Boundaries: Transatlantic Dialogues and Gendered Narratives'.« . Edited by Francisco Alonso-Almeida et al. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2024: 11-12.)

Contents:

	Abstract (p. 70)
	1. Introduction (p. 70)
	2. Breaking the girl: Briseis in Barker’s The Silence of the Girls and Helen of Sparta in Cook’s Achilles (p. 71)
	3. Reinscribing Medusa: Haynes’ Stone Blind and Saint’s Ariadne (p. 73)
	4. Conclusions (p. 74)
	References (p. 75)

Wikipedia: Ancient history: Ancient Greece | History of Europe: History of England | Feminism: Feminist terminology / Rape culture | Literature: English literature / Pat Barker, Natalie Haynes, Jennifer Saint | Literature: Novels about rape / The Silence of the Girls, Stone Blind | Myth: Greek mythology | Sex and the law: Rape / Rape in Greek mythology