A Wild Swan: A Postmodern Retelling by Michael Cunningham

In Postmodern Retellings 101, students examined contemporary retellings of folktales that originated in the 1960s or 1970s. Some of the first writers to take on this challenge were Anne Sexton, Margaret Atwood, and Angela Carter, who ultimately left a fantastic legacy for upcoming authors. As time went on, the "deconstruction" of philosopher Jacques Derrida remained the primary focus, while gender studies about women's roles in society continued to have a significant impact. However, new retellings began concentrating on different motifs or subjects in addition to creating fresh storytelling techniques. Gender distinctions are ambiguous, and the original stories' mythopoeic elements are questioned.

To increase awareness of earlier interpretations of fairy tales and give the original characters a voice, meta-folklore is essential. Thus, the retellings from the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s will be the focus of this series.

A Wild Swan: A Postmodern Retelling by Michael Cunningham

A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham offers an alternative approach to hegemonic masculinity. The author claims that men might respond to patriarchy in a variety of ways, including acceptance, assimilation, and opposition. The topic in this article is centred on the swan symbol as the ideal man archetype to achieve freedom. Cunningham therefore creates a fresh avenue for literary fiction that challenges previously hegemonic discourse. The author uses one of the most stereotypically feminine characteristics, beauty, to undermine the patriarchal discourse, which might be interpreted as a protest against the ideal of masculinity.

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