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The Heroine with 1001 Faces
The Heroine with 1,001 Faces dismantles the cult of warrior heroes, revealing a secret history of heroinism at the very heart of our collective cultural imagination. Maria Tatar, a leading authority on fairy tales and folklore, explores how heroines, rarely wielding a sword and often deprived of a pen, have flown beneath the radar even as they have been bent on redemptive missions. Deploying the domestic crafts and using words as weapons, they have found ways to survive assaults and rescue others from harm, all while repairing the fraying edges in the fabric of their social worlds. Like the tongueless Philomela, who spins the tale of her rape into a tapestry, or Arachne, who portrays the misdeeds of the gods, they have discovered instruments for securing fairness in the storytelling circles where so-called women’s work—spinning, mending, and weaving—is carried out.
Tatar challenges the canonical models of heroism in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, with their male-centric emphases on achieving glory and immortality. Finding the women missing from his account and defining their own heroic trajectories is no easy task, for Campbell created the playbook for Hollywood directors. Audiences around the world have willingly surrendered to the lure of quest narratives and charismatic heroes. Whether in the form of Frodo, Luke Skywalker, or Harry Potter, Campbell’s archetypical hero has dominated more than the box office.
In a broad-ranging volume that moves with ease from the local to the global, Tatar demonstrates how our new heroines wear their curiosity as a badge of honor rather than a mark of shame, and how their “mischief making” evidences compassion and concern. From Bluebeard’s wife to Nancy Drew, and from Jane Eyre to Janie Crawford, women have long crafted stories to broadcast offenses in the pursuit of social justice. Girls, too, have now precociously stepped up to the plate, with Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen, and Starr Carter as trickster figures enacting their own forms of extrajudicial justice. Their quests may not take the traditional form of a “hero’s journey,” but they reveal the value of courage, defiance, and, above all, care.
“By turns dazzling and chilling” (Ruth Franklin), The Heroine with 1,001 Faces creates a luminous arc that takes us from ancient times to the present day. It casts an unusually wide net, expanding the canon and thinking capaciously in global terms, breaking down the boundaries of genre, and displaying a sovereign command of cultural context. This, then, is a historic volume that informs our present and its newfound investment in empathy and social justice like no other work of recent cultural history.
Tatar challenges the canonical models of heroism in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, with their male-centric emphases on achieving glory and immortality. Finding the women missing from his account and defining their own heroic trajectories is no easy task, for Campbell created the playbook for Hollywood directors. Audiences around the world have willingly surrendered to the lure of quest narratives and charismatic heroes. Whether in the form of Frodo, Luke Skywalker, or Harry Potter, Campbell’s archetypical hero has dominated more than the box office.
In a broad-ranging volume that moves with ease from the local to the global, Tatar demonstrates how our new heroines wear their curiosity as a badge of honor rather than a mark of shame, and how their “mischief making” evidences compassion and concern. From Bluebeard’s wife to Nancy Drew, and from Jane Eyre to Janie Crawford, women have long crafted stories to broadcast offenses in the pursuit of social justice. Girls, too, have now precociously stepped up to the plate, with Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen, and Starr Carter as trickster figures enacting their own forms of extrajudicial justice. Their quests may not take the traditional form of a “hero’s journey,” but they reveal the value of courage, defiance, and, above all, care.
“By turns dazzling and chilling” (Ruth Franklin), The Heroine with 1,001 Faces creates a luminous arc that takes us from ancient times to the present day. It casts an unusually wide net, expanding the canon and thinking capaciously in global terms, breaking down the boundaries of genre, and displaying a sovereign command of cultural context. This, then, is a historic volume that informs our present and its newfound investment in empathy and social justice like no other work of recent cultural history.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2021
About the author
Maria Tatar
50 books291 followersMaria Tatar is the John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures. She chairs the Program in Folklore and Mythology at Harvard University. She is the author of Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood, Off with Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood and many other books on folklore and fairy stories. She is also the editor and translator of The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, The Annotated Peter Pan, The Classic Fairy Tales: A Norton Critical Edition and The Grimm Reader. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
December 9, 2021
I’m real glad to see this book appear, and I’m sure it will unleash a slew of new works that build on its theme. I want to give it four stars largely for launching such a fantastic conversation. Tatar is obviously a master folklorist, and her book is mainly a history of storytelling -- with a focus on the evolving female roles. She’s a literary critic, assessing the merits, horrors, and limitations of ancient myths, traditional folktales, modern novels, comic books, movies, and TV shows. She focuses heavily on the Western world, but includes stories from the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. There is almost nothing from South or East Asia.
I was much impressed with Tatar’s exploration of “curiosity” as a female trait, and of how traditional myth and folklore has presented curiosity as a fatal flaw in women such as Eve or Pandora. In women, curiosity has been presented not as the spark for learning, but as snooping, prying, and especially as “sexual curiosity” – with this portrayed as the cause of a million falls or abuses, the mention of which must be repressed or silenced by any means necessary.
Tatar surveys a vast field of popular tales, including tons of the latest films and television series. She critiques how the rise of female heroes has commonly delivered vigilante fighter types, who show that women can fit the old male model of heroism and beat bad guys just as mercilessly as any male superhero. At the end she projects a “lift off” into a world where new kinds of female heroes push new frontiers. But I think Tatar leaves a few big holes in her story: Tales of religious women and of social reformers. What about the legendary female heroes of greater spiritual potential such as Rabia (a founding saint of the Sufi movement), Hildegard of Bingen, Mirabai, or Kwan Yin, the female savior of the universe? Tatar does mention some female heroes of social or political movements such as Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, or Oprah Winfrey. But the book mainly neglects this kind of non-literary hero. I expect the next works on this great theme will include other re-definers of what heroism is -- the likes of Harriet Tubman, Mother Jones, Jane Goodall, Shirin Ebadi, Irshad Manji, Aung San Suu Kyi, Greta Thunberg, and Vandana Shiva, otherwise known as “Mama Kali.”
I was much impressed with Tatar’s exploration of “curiosity” as a female trait, and of how traditional myth and folklore has presented curiosity as a fatal flaw in women such as Eve or Pandora. In women, curiosity has been presented not as the spark for learning, but as snooping, prying, and especially as “sexual curiosity” – with this portrayed as the cause of a million falls or abuses, the mention of which must be repressed or silenced by any means necessary.
Tatar surveys a vast field of popular tales, including tons of the latest films and television series. She critiques how the rise of female heroes has commonly delivered vigilante fighter types, who show that women can fit the old male model of heroism and beat bad guys just as mercilessly as any male superhero. At the end she projects a “lift off” into a world where new kinds of female heroes push new frontiers. But I think Tatar leaves a few big holes in her story: Tales of religious women and of social reformers. What about the legendary female heroes of greater spiritual potential such as Rabia (a founding saint of the Sufi movement), Hildegard of Bingen, Mirabai, or Kwan Yin, the female savior of the universe? Tatar does mention some female heroes of social or political movements such as Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, or Oprah Winfrey. But the book mainly neglects this kind of non-literary hero. I expect the next works on this great theme will include other re-definers of what heroism is -- the likes of Harriet Tubman, Mother Jones, Jane Goodall, Shirin Ebadi, Irshad Manji, Aung San Suu Kyi, Greta Thunberg, and Vandana Shiva, otherwise known as “Mama Kali.”
June 17, 2021
Maria Tatar's book was a revelation and a vindication.
After reading Joseph's Campbell's The Hero with A Thousand Faces, I felt uneasy--I had always assumed 'hero' was used in the 'hero's journey' as a gender neutral term, in the old-fashioned way that 'he' or 'mankind' was used as the default to mean 'anyone' or 'everyone.' When I actually went to the source, it was pretty clear that women could not be heroes. We were relegated by Campbell to be prizes, obstacles, or helpers to the male hero.
In Tatar's compulsively readable analysis, she shows that in their own unique way, women's stories can rewrite narratives--and society. Once relegated by Campbell and male-dominated societies to the world of 'fairy tales' and 'old wive's tales'--in other words, to women's circles only--Tatar reveals that the structures and tropes Campbell espoused as universal are only one side of the story and one particularly masculine narrative structure. Tatar's work shows us that heroines have always been prevalent in our narratives, and when we give them their due consideration, they provide clues and guides for how to seek justice, how to live with compassion and intelligence, and how to tell stories that are empowering and subversive.
After reading Joseph's Campbell's The Hero with A Thousand Faces, I felt uneasy--I had always assumed 'hero' was used in the 'hero's journey' as a gender neutral term, in the old-fashioned way that 'he' or 'mankind' was used as the default to mean 'anyone' or 'everyone.' When I actually went to the source, it was pretty clear that women could not be heroes. We were relegated by Campbell to be prizes, obstacles, or helpers to the male hero.
In Tatar's compulsively readable analysis, she shows that in their own unique way, women's stories can rewrite narratives--and society. Once relegated by Campbell and male-dominated societies to the world of 'fairy tales' and 'old wive's tales'--in other words, to women's circles only--Tatar reveals that the structures and tropes Campbell espoused as universal are only one side of the story and one particularly masculine narrative structure. Tatar's work shows us that heroines have always been prevalent in our narratives, and when we give them their due consideration, they provide clues and guides for how to seek justice, how to live with compassion and intelligence, and how to tell stories that are empowering and subversive.
April 19, 2022
Not going to lie, I skimmed the last 50 pages because I simply could not with this shell of a book.
This book was a huge letdown. For me, it joins a string of books about feminist topics written by well-respected academics that commit the double crime of being dull, and poorly argued. These books (like Jacqueline Rose's Mothers or Lucy Delap's Feminisms: A Global History) try to straddle the line between academic and approachable and fail miserably at both.
The Heroine with 1001 Faces was published in September 2021, and yet it reads incredibly dated. It purports to challenge Campbell's definition of heroism, but what it does instead is list fictional story after story (across genres and cultures) that feature mostly women and girls as the main characters as examples of how women too can be heroes, or how women have challenged patriarchal norms. I guess? I don't know what the purpose was exactly: to show us that women too can be heroes? To expand the definition of heroism? Or to challenge the notion of heroism itself, and what it means to seek it. Why do we need heroes in the first place?
Tatar goes into so many disparate topics but is incapable of bringing them together in a cohesive whole. Her analysis of pop culture and heroism are so incredibly shallow as to border on the ridiculous. There is no depth whatsoever to this book, no attempt to delve into the core issues, or to untangle the knots of oral history, authority, testimony, truth in a meaningful way. Which is a huge shame considering the fantastic work that has been done on this topic, by academics and non-academics alike, to understand the figure of women in mythology and fairytales, and how women's voices have been undermined, and how they have persisted regardless. While it seems that Tatar has read the books in question, I am not sure she has done the legwork on expanding on them in any meaningful way. She rehashes, but doesn't reply to them.
Honestly, I knew I was done with this book the moment when Tatar describes Carrie from Sex and the City as a "heroine" that is the female counterpart of Superman. Not to mention the several infuriating moments of conflating different stories, genres, and trends, and to assigning women certain qualities (such as care and compassion) without challenging them at any point.
Reminds me so much of Atwood's The Testaments: thinks it has something to say, but the world and theory it is responding to is long gone.
This book was a huge letdown. For me, it joins a string of books about feminist topics written by well-respected academics that commit the double crime of being dull, and poorly argued. These books (like Jacqueline Rose's Mothers or Lucy Delap's Feminisms: A Global History) try to straddle the line between academic and approachable and fail miserably at both.
The Heroine with 1001 Faces was published in September 2021, and yet it reads incredibly dated. It purports to challenge Campbell's definition of heroism, but what it does instead is list fictional story after story (across genres and cultures) that feature mostly women and girls as the main characters as examples of how women too can be heroes, or how women have challenged patriarchal norms. I guess? I don't know what the purpose was exactly: to show us that women too can be heroes? To expand the definition of heroism? Or to challenge the notion of heroism itself, and what it means to seek it. Why do we need heroes in the first place?
Tatar goes into so many disparate topics but is incapable of bringing them together in a cohesive whole. Her analysis of pop culture and heroism are so incredibly shallow as to border on the ridiculous. There is no depth whatsoever to this book, no attempt to delve into the core issues, or to untangle the knots of oral history, authority, testimony, truth in a meaningful way. Which is a huge shame considering the fantastic work that has been done on this topic, by academics and non-academics alike, to understand the figure of women in mythology and fairytales, and how women's voices have been undermined, and how they have persisted regardless. While it seems that Tatar has read the books in question, I am not sure she has done the legwork on expanding on them in any meaningful way. She rehashes, but doesn't reply to them.
Honestly, I knew I was done with this book the moment when Tatar describes Carrie from Sex and the City as a "heroine" that is the female counterpart of Superman. Not to mention the several infuriating moments of conflating different stories, genres, and trends, and to assigning women certain qualities (such as care and compassion) without challenging them at any point.
Reminds me so much of Atwood's The Testaments: thinks it has something to say, but the world and theory it is responding to is long gone.
December 29, 2021
2021 Best Books of the Year [#09 of 11]
September 29, 2021
3.5, kind of rounded up… mainly because I just didn’t want to round down. This *is* a good book, covering a lot of ground and providing a valuable resource that has been badly needed for a long time. But I can’t give it higher because of two things I kept coming back to…
* the author (perhaps inadvertently) deadnames Elliot Page. It may not be my place to call attention to that, and there’s every possibility it was an editing oversight (the book was written during the pandemic and Page came out in December), but it’s something that needs addressing in future editions.
* entire sections dedicated to Carrie Bradshaw and Girls but not even a mention of Furiosa…? Ellen Ripley? Sarah Connor? It’s strange to have a book dedicated to the evolution of female heroes and omit those three.
Like I said, it’s very good and I’m sure I’ll revisit it in the future. But it’s definitely not definitive.
* the author (perhaps inadvertently) deadnames Elliot Page. It may not be my place to call attention to that, and there’s every possibility it was an editing oversight (the book was written during the pandemic and Page came out in December), but it’s something that needs addressing in future editions.
* entire sections dedicated to Carrie Bradshaw and Girls but not even a mention of Furiosa…? Ellen Ripley? Sarah Connor? It’s strange to have a book dedicated to the evolution of female heroes and omit those three.
Like I said, it’s very good and I’m sure I’ll revisit it in the future. But it’s definitely not definitive.
January 29, 2024
Не знаех, че “Междузвездни войни” на Лукас и целият Холивуд са пряко повлияни от Кембъл с неговия
”герой с хиляди лица”
. Като добър разказвач, Кембъл действително систематизира нещо като “рецепта” или “наръчник” по героизъм, стъпвайки върху изпитаните прийоми на древните митове. Митовете обаче мълчат как се става героиня. Героинята най-често си стои вкъщи и преде, а ако се обади по някаква тема, синът и се скарва да не си напряга главата с мъжки работи (като Пенелопа, чакаща като жива статуя своя Одисей, докато синът и Телемах я поучава да си мълчи). Героинята е обект и предмет на някаква случка - най-често насилие, и няма никакъв контрол над случващото се (Даная, Персефона - иначе на Зевс и Хадес нямаше да им излезе късметът). Ако героинята реши да протестира срещу понесена несправедливост, и режат езика (Филомела, осмелила се да протестира срещу изнасилвача си). Или я отвличат, защото жените в митичен Рим са станали кът за възпроизводствени нужди, и на всичкото отгоре тъкмо на нея легендата вменява, че е длъжна да убеди бащи, съпрузи, синове да се помирят с наглите насилници (сабинянките, отвлечени от римляните). Ако пък се опъне на мераците на бог като Аполон, набързо я смълчават в ролята на вечното лъжливо овчарче за околните (Касандра от Троя). За Пандора с нейната кутия и Ева с нейната ябълка на познанието даже не ми се говори. Страхът от просвета наистина е библейски…
Митовете не гъмжат от женски примери за някакъв съществен принос към света (освен биологичен). Но да смълчиш една жена все пак не е лесно (както знае всеки женен мъж), и следващото убежище на дамското присъствие са се оказали приказките - “сива” зона, гледана с високомерно презрение от любителите на героични епоси. В народните приказки положението отново не е съвсем розово - кула-затвор за Рапунцел, непробуден сън за Спящата красавица и никакъв избор за принц, робски труд за Пепеляшка. Само Шехерезада по терлици се измъква от примката на палача с приказки - буквално. Населяващите нейните 1001 нощи дами са предимно измамни изкусителки - гробокопачки за всеки мъж с потенциал, но се намират и истински умници, все пак. И то доста повече отколкото в която и да е епическа саги и мит.
Когато братя Грим и Шарл Перо започват да събират и публикуват народни приказки, печатните им версии претърпяват жестока морализаторска цензура спрямо устната традиция. В приказката за Синята брада остава осъдителната присъда за неподобаващото женско любопитство на съпругата, за сметка на снизхождение към убийствата на този приказен сериен убиец на жени. Защо и е било да се рови в скелетите (буквално) в миналото на мъжа си? Част от тогавашните критици искрено недоумяват по въпроса.
След като и приказките падат под ножа на “новия”, вече книжен, прочит, остават клюките. И остава изневярата като поле на тесния “избор” и “свобода” - на Ана Каренина и Ема Бовари. Така - мирно и идилично - до 20-ти век - където, ако не друго, се появява поне милата стара мис Марпъл на Агата Кристи. И куп - предимно влудяващи, с малко добри изключения - модерни препрочита на старите митове от гледната точка на дамите.
Самият Кембъл чистосърдечно си признава, че митовете не са му дали много материал за “героиня”. А и той е от старата школа - Кухня, Църква, Деца - и точка. Идеята на Мария Татар за поглед “от другата страна”, от гледна точка на “героинята” е достоен за уважение. Защото митология, приказки, литература дават изобилен материал и архетипове. Те не са ласкателни, но са истински. А ако са ласкателни - например възхвала на типа “многострадална Геновева” - просто са откровено изфабрикувани “пропагандни материали” на различните епохи. От тях има много какво да се извлече - дори като се чете между редовете, ��същност най-вече така.
Но Татар се отплесва твърде много в съвременността и с популярни авторки, част от които изобщо са неграмотно едностранчиви, и забравя за нюансите и ми��овете. Прегледът над части от американската масова култура и литературни традиции е полезен, но не чак в такива количества и не с тази избрана насоченост. Дори американската култура е по-богата от трохите, подхвърлени от Татар. За сметка на това старите източници са леко пренебрегнати и недоразвити като мотиви и значения. Диалогът им с днешните “еквиваленти” в книги, кино, телевизия не е изцяло свързан и пълноценен, а само започнат. Надъханата едностранчивост на т.нар. втора вълна на феминизма също не помага - винаги съм си мислила, че феминизмът е само един, и американизираната му, проповедническа версия никога, никога не ми е допадала. Целта на цялата книга ми остана мъглява - “героиня” не видях, твърде многото и ненужни цитати от Кембъл не ме просветлиха (очаквах спор, но такъв няма, а липсва и диалог), концепция липсва.
Като цяло - интересни напомняния за основни стереотипи, които всички отнякъде сме прихванали (в западната култура), и за техните източници и често доста по-нееднозначно от възприетото значение.
2,5⭐️
———
“Stuck at home, enslaved, exiled, or imprisoned, heroines are handicapped in ways that point to trials rather than journeys.”
“These are not tragedies of heroic defiance or of human failings, but tales of assault and abduction, injury and trauma”
Митовете не гъмжат от женски примери за някакъв съществен принос към света (освен биологичен). Но да смълчиш една жена все пак не е лесно (както знае всеки женен мъж), и следващото убежище на дамското присъствие са се оказали приказките - “сива” зона, гледана с високомерно презрение от любителите на героични епоси. В народните приказки положението отново не е съвсем розово - кула-затвор за Рапунцел, непробуден сън за Спящата красавица и никакъв избор за принц, робски труд за Пепеляшка. Само Шехерезада по терлици се измъква от примката на палача с приказки - буквално. Населяващите нейните 1001 нощи дами са предимно измамни изкусителки - гробокопачки за всеки мъж с потенциал, но се намират и истински умници, все пак. И то доста повече отколкото в която и да е епическа саги и мит.
Когато братя Грим и Шарл Перо започват да събират и публикуват народни приказки, печатните им версии претърпяват жестока морализаторска цензура спрямо устната традиция. В приказката за Синята брада остава осъдителната присъда за неподобаващото женско любопитство на съпругата, за сметка на снизхождение към убийствата на този приказен сериен убиец на жени. Защо и е било да се рови в скелетите (буквално) в миналото на мъжа си? Част от тогавашните критици искрено недоумяват по въпроса.
След като и приказките падат под ножа на “новия”, вече книжен, прочит, остават клюките. И остава изневярата като поле на тесния “избор” и “свобода” - на Ана Каренина и Ема Бовари. Така - мирно и идилично - до 20-ти век - където, ако не друго, се появява поне милата стара мис Марпъл на Агата Кристи. И куп - предимно влудяващи, с малко добри изключения - модерни препрочита на старите митове от гледната точка на дамите.
Самият Кембъл чистосърдечно си признава, че митовете не са му дали много материал за “героиня”. А и той е от старата школа - Кухня, Църква, Деца - и точка. Идеята на Мария Татар за поглед “от другата страна”, от гледна точка на “героинята” е достоен за уважение. Защото митология, приказки, литература дават изобилен материал и архетипове. Те не са ласкателни, но са истински. А ако са ласкателни - например възхвала на типа “многострадална Геновева” - просто са откровено изфабрикувани “пропагандни материали” на различните епохи. От тях има много какво да се извлече - дори като се чете между редовете, ��същност най-вече така.
Но Татар се отплесва твърде много в съвременността и с популярни авторки, част от които изобщо са неграмотно едностранчиви, и забравя за нюансите и ми��овете. Прегледът над части от американската масова култура и литературни традиции е полезен, но не чак в такива количества и не с тази избрана насоченост. Дори американската култура е по-богата от трохите, подхвърлени от Татар. За сметка на това старите източници са леко пренебрегнати и недоразвити като мотиви и значения. Диалогът им с днешните “еквиваленти” в книги, кино, телевизия не е изцяло свързан и пълноценен, а само започнат. Надъханата едностранчивост на т.нар. втора вълна на феминизма също не помага - винаги съм си мислила, че феминизмът е само един, и американизираната му, проповедническа версия никога, никога не ми е допадала. Целта на цялата книга ми остана мъглява - “героиня” не видях, твърде многото и ненужни цитати от Кембъл не ме просветлиха (очаквах спор, но такъв няма, а липсва и диалог), концепция липсва.
Като цяло - интересни напомняния за основни стереотипи, които всички отнякъде сме прихванали (в западната култура), и за техните източници и често доста по-нееднозначно от възприетото значение.
2,5⭐️
———
“Stuck at home, enslaved, exiled, or imprisoned, heroines are handicapped in ways that point to trials rather than journeys.”
“These are not tragedies of heroic defiance or of human failings, but tales of assault and abduction, injury and trauma”
January 28, 2022
In The Heroine with 1001 Faces, Maria Tatar interrogates Joseph Campbell’s definition of the hero and the heroic quest in his landmark book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces She argues Campbell’s definition is masculine-centered and blind to the heroism of women simply because women operate under a different set of constructs.
That women do not conform to Campbell’s model of heroism does not negate their status as heroines. Using examples from mythology, folktales, fairy tales, and a host of other works, Tatar argues for expanding our definition of heroism. As she convincingly demonstrates, women have traditionally operated under a different paradigm of heroism by using use a variety of woman-centered skills and tools at their disposal to save themselves and to rescue others. Words are wielded as weapons through their story-telling. And information is shared in women’s circles through what has pejoratively been labeled old wives’ tales or gossip. When women are denied voice, as in the case of Philomela whose tongue was cut out to prevent her from reporting her rape, women spin and weave and write their stories to warn others and to demand justice.
From mythology, Tatar moves to fairy tales and folktales; to contemporary re-tellings of myths which give prominent voice to women who had been marginalized in male-centered heroics; to novels; to what female authors and their female characters have said about finding voice; to popular young adult novels about female detectives; and to current examples on television, films, and social media. She discusses the evolving definition of female heroism, women’s fight for social justice, and female vigilantes.
Tatar interrogates the word “curiosity.” She provides illustrations in mythology and fairy tales of women punished for all forms of curiosity, including sexual curiosity. Women’s curiosity has historically been muffled, silenced, or repressed. Tatar argues that rather than being a drawback, a woman’s curiosity is an invaluable asset for generating knowledge. It makes women particularly adept at solving mysteries, observing details in speech and action that others have overlooked, asking questions, investigating, cultivating an ethic of care and compassion, and pursuing social justice.
Tatar’s research is extensive; her examples are wide-ranging. Her expansion of the definition of heroism allows us to recognize the heroic work of a Shahrazad as we invite her to step up to the platform to receive her accolades alongside traditional male heroes. Who is to say that when Shahrazad rescues her community of women through story-telling she is any less worthy of praise than a blood-splattered hero emerging victorious from battling enemies? Her tools may be different, but her struggle and the struggle of all women who use their voices and the tools at their disposal to pursue social justice are worthy of the honorific title of heroines.
Maria Tatar’s exceptional, well-researched, and accessible study, with its extensive notes and index, makes an invaluable contribution toward re-defining our concept of heroism to include woman-centered voices and woman-centered work.
Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
That women do not conform to Campbell’s model of heroism does not negate their status as heroines. Using examples from mythology, folktales, fairy tales, and a host of other works, Tatar argues for expanding our definition of heroism. As she convincingly demonstrates, women have traditionally operated under a different paradigm of heroism by using use a variety of woman-centered skills and tools at their disposal to save themselves and to rescue others. Words are wielded as weapons through their story-telling. And information is shared in women’s circles through what has pejoratively been labeled old wives’ tales or gossip. When women are denied voice, as in the case of Philomela whose tongue was cut out to prevent her from reporting her rape, women spin and weave and write their stories to warn others and to demand justice.
From mythology, Tatar moves to fairy tales and folktales; to contemporary re-tellings of myths which give prominent voice to women who had been marginalized in male-centered heroics; to novels; to what female authors and their female characters have said about finding voice; to popular young adult novels about female detectives; and to current examples on television, films, and social media. She discusses the evolving definition of female heroism, women’s fight for social justice, and female vigilantes.
Tatar interrogates the word “curiosity.” She provides illustrations in mythology and fairy tales of women punished for all forms of curiosity, including sexual curiosity. Women’s curiosity has historically been muffled, silenced, or repressed. Tatar argues that rather than being a drawback, a woman’s curiosity is an invaluable asset for generating knowledge. It makes women particularly adept at solving mysteries, observing details in speech and action that others have overlooked, asking questions, investigating, cultivating an ethic of care and compassion, and pursuing social justice.
Tatar’s research is extensive; her examples are wide-ranging. Her expansion of the definition of heroism allows us to recognize the heroic work of a Shahrazad as we invite her to step up to the platform to receive her accolades alongside traditional male heroes. Who is to say that when Shahrazad rescues her community of women through story-telling she is any less worthy of praise than a blood-splattered hero emerging victorious from battling enemies? Her tools may be different, but her struggle and the struggle of all women who use their voices and the tools at their disposal to pursue social justice are worthy of the honorific title of heroines.
Maria Tatar’s exceptional, well-researched, and accessible study, with its extensive notes and index, makes an invaluable contribution toward re-defining our concept of heroism to include woman-centered voices and woman-centered work.
Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
September 10, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Liveright for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. Here is that review:
4 stars
I haven't been this nerdy and excited for a book in a long, LONG time. As a regular professor of courses on folklore, mythology, and children's literature, I am extremely familiar with Tatar's scholarship...and Joseph Campbell's _The Hero with a Thousand Faces_. This book is really the missing piece I've been waiting for my whole career.
Campbell's work largely excludes women, unless they are filling the most basic and binary roles, so even the title of this text is refreshing. Tatar comes off - as usual - as deeply knowledgeable not only about folklore and mythology but also about the numerous texts from which the examples are drawn.
The greatest use for this text is going to be as source material for undergraduate and graduate students looking to work through newer texts - or older texts in more modern ways - and to access an update on Campbell's original construct. What will work so well for students here is the same feature that might tire readers like me, who geek out over stuff like this for pleasure: the lengthy summaries of various exemplary texts. Readers who hate spoilers or those who prefer more theory and fewer examples may find themselves frustrated by the structure. As much as this situation irritated me at times, I also couldn't help but realize how useful it will be for students. They won't have to know all of these works independently to contextualize the concepts or their own scholarship. This choice reflects Tatar's focus on the correct audience.
One area I do find lacking here is attention to a broader definition of "women." In the current TERF laden territory, there's a missed opportunity to do better with the expansive and inclusive examples and constructs around gender.
I am grateful this book exists and have already been touting its certain usefulness to students even pre-publication. It won't be a fun read for everyone who finds the subject interesting, but it will fill a longstanding gap and serve many, MANY students well for years to come.
4 stars
I haven't been this nerdy and excited for a book in a long, LONG time. As a regular professor of courses on folklore, mythology, and children's literature, I am extremely familiar with Tatar's scholarship...and Joseph Campbell's _The Hero with a Thousand Faces_. This book is really the missing piece I've been waiting for my whole career.
Campbell's work largely excludes women, unless they are filling the most basic and binary roles, so even the title of this text is refreshing. Tatar comes off - as usual - as deeply knowledgeable not only about folklore and mythology but also about the numerous texts from which the examples are drawn.
The greatest use for this text is going to be as source material for undergraduate and graduate students looking to work through newer texts - or older texts in more modern ways - and to access an update on Campbell's original construct. What will work so well for students here is the same feature that might tire readers like me, who geek out over stuff like this for pleasure: the lengthy summaries of various exemplary texts. Readers who hate spoilers or those who prefer more theory and fewer examples may find themselves frustrated by the structure. As much as this situation irritated me at times, I also couldn't help but realize how useful it will be for students. They won't have to know all of these works independently to contextualize the concepts or their own scholarship. This choice reflects Tatar's focus on the correct audience.
One area I do find lacking here is attention to a broader definition of "women." In the current TERF laden territory, there's a missed opportunity to do better with the expansive and inclusive examples and constructs around gender.
I am grateful this book exists and have already been touting its certain usefulness to students even pre-publication. It won't be a fun read for everyone who finds the subject interesting, but it will fill a longstanding gap and serve many, MANY students well for years to come.
June 28, 2021
A scholarly examination of what being a heroine means and how this has evolved over time. This book is in part a response to Joseph Campbell's work on the hero and his belief that a woman's role was at home nurturing the hero.
The chapters are themed and include ones on fairly tales, rape and seduction, finding a voice, curiosity and detection, with examples from Eve to Jo Marsh to Nancy Drew and Lisbeth Salander.
I must admit that the book wasn't what I thought it was going to be. The 1001 in the title implied something more accessible. I found this book at times repetitive and dry but the later chapters were a little more interesting.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
The chapters are themed and include ones on fairly tales, rape and seduction, finding a voice, curiosity and detection, with examples from Eve to Jo Marsh to Nancy Drew and Lisbeth Salander.
I must admit that the book wasn't what I thought it was going to be. The 1001 in the title implied something more accessible. I found this book at times repetitive and dry but the later chapters were a little more interesting.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
February 20, 2024
If this book was trying to say something, even having finished it, I still do not know what it was. Throughout my reading, after the first 20 or so pages, there was something that continued to strike me the wrong way but I could never put my finger on it. So I kept reading, hoping that feeling would be relieved or I'd be able to pinpoint exactly what it was. It wasn't until I finished it, with the feeling still here and a few days later to digest, that I figured it out.
There is no definitive statement, response, or even a thesis that I can blatantly pin down other than "women have had it rough in literature" (which, yes they have). It's recounting the brutality both in fiction and history that women have been facing for thousands of years, crammed into this state of victimhood. I was enjoying it for a while, all of this information presented, a way to shame Joseph Campbell and his research of heroics, ignoring the pain and suffering of women that it was built on. I was eager, but it never came. More and more tales were presented, but that was all. Nothing was said about them other than "woe! woe to these women!"
Later in the book Tatar calls modern heroines carbon copies of men (WHAT! she screams to herself when reading).
But the choice to recall these tales, myths, and legends, while citing modern authors like Madeline Miller but ignoring Emily's Wilson's translation of The Odyssey (which was published four years prior) was bizarre, to say the least. A modern translation that shed light on some female heroines was not in this book... about heroines. And it's not the first time Tatar ignores women, authors and characters, to serve a... blase point.
Perhaps this is my own jaded view and perhaps Tatar isn't the person to tackle this topic, but the complete lack of any queer female authors or characters was an odd thing to leave out in a book about giving voice to silenced women. And integral part of Alice Walker's The Color Purple is Celie's queerness and that is shamefully left out. There are also Black women in Jordan Peele's Get Out being tortured, stolen, sold into modern slavery by Rose and her family, yet Tatar only mentions the men (which, silencing a Black woman's voice is an ENTIRE thing so...) The blatant erasure, or plucking out only what fit, of these women in a book about women, again, being erased or silenced serves to counteract the entire point of this book.
And don't even get me started on her Trickster chapters. The ridiculous and ludicrous claim that women, who are claimed to be modern-day Tricksters, are only mirroring male behavior is a self made counter point to the opening of her book, that a story can change when the lens of our main character is changed. That a story in a woman's hand is vastly different than a story in a man's. Which... should logically serve for tropes. She claims that Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is reminiscent of her male counterparts rather than creating "a unique female identity". So it's a dangerous dip into gender essentialism, that men should only have certain stories and women should, what? Judging off this book I would never know because it is never once stated how to make a story more "feminine" (which, in itself, is a foolish statement) to counteract the "masculine" (more male dominated stories).
The women she critiques are, by Tatar's own definitions, heroes, not heroines, so why focus the end of the book on them? A book on deepening a gender divide rather than loving that men and women's roles (which can be equated to masculine and feminine and take the gender expectation out entirely) in a modern world can be swapped interchangeably.
The final point of my tried, but ultimate lack of, enjoyment was the focus on male creators (directors, authors, etc) and their accomplishments of writing female characters while taking the time to claim that Gone Girl could have been misogynistic, one of the few novels mentioned at the end that was written by a woman. Praise the man, damn the women, an age old tale.
This novel could've been so great but simply ended up as a disappointment. Little was said other than breaking down the history of female literature and claiming that modern heroines are "carbon copies" of their male counterparts.
There is no definitive statement, response, or even a thesis that I can blatantly pin down other than "women have had it rough in literature" (which, yes they have). It's recounting the brutality both in fiction and history that women have been facing for thousands of years, crammed into this state of victimhood. I was enjoying it for a while, all of this information presented, a way to shame Joseph Campbell and his research of heroics, ignoring the pain and suffering of women that it was built on. I was eager, but it never came. More and more tales were presented, but that was all. Nothing was said about them other than "woe! woe to these women!"
Later in the book Tatar calls modern heroines carbon copies of men (WHAT! she screams to herself when reading).
But the choice to recall these tales, myths, and legends, while citing modern authors like Madeline Miller but ignoring Emily's Wilson's translation of The Odyssey (which was published four years prior) was bizarre, to say the least. A modern translation that shed light on some female heroines was not in this book... about heroines. And it's not the first time Tatar ignores women, authors and characters, to serve a... blase point.
Perhaps this is my own jaded view and perhaps Tatar isn't the person to tackle this topic, but the complete lack of any queer female authors or characters was an odd thing to leave out in a book about giving voice to silenced women. And integral part of Alice Walker's The Color Purple is Celie's queerness and that is shamefully left out. There are also Black women in Jordan Peele's Get Out being tortured, stolen, sold into modern slavery by Rose and her family, yet Tatar only mentions the men (which, silencing a Black woman's voice is an ENTIRE thing so...) The blatant erasure, or plucking out only what fit, of these women in a book about women, again, being erased or silenced serves to counteract the entire point of this book.
And don't even get me started on her Trickster chapters. The ridiculous and ludicrous claim that women, who are claimed to be modern-day Tricksters, are only mirroring male behavior is a self made counter point to the opening of her book, that a story can change when the lens of our main character is changed. That a story in a woman's hand is vastly different than a story in a man's. Which... should logically serve for tropes. She claims that Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is reminiscent of her male counterparts rather than creating "a unique female identity". So it's a dangerous dip into gender essentialism, that men should only have certain stories and women should, what? Judging off this book I would never know because it is never once stated how to make a story more "feminine" (which, in itself, is a foolish statement) to counteract the "masculine" (more male dominated stories).
The women she critiques are, by Tatar's own definitions, heroes, not heroines, so why focus the end of the book on them? A book on deepening a gender divide rather than loving that men and women's roles (which can be equated to masculine and feminine and take the gender expectation out entirely) in a modern world can be swapped interchangeably.
The final point of my tried, but ultimate lack of, enjoyment was the focus on male creators (directors, authors, etc) and their accomplishments of writing female characters while taking the time to claim that Gone Girl could have been misogynistic, one of the few novels mentioned at the end that was written by a woman. Praise the man, damn the women, an age old tale.
This novel could've been so great but simply ended up as a disappointment. Little was said other than breaking down the history of female literature and claiming that modern heroines are "carbon copies" of their male counterparts.
October 20, 2022
This book purports to deconstruct Joseph Campbell's "The Hero of 1,001 Faces" that birthed the hero's journey narrative structure taught in so many writing classes today. Campbell's work has long been criticized by many feminists and scholars as being reductive and misogynistic. I'm all on board for the premise of this book! Unfortunately, it really, really falls flat in its execution.
The book's strongest points are in the first couple chapters, when Tatar deconstructs female characters in Greek myths and fairytales, as well as modern transformative retellings of those stories. However, it never delivers on the promise it sets up in these early pages. In place of real critical analysis, she sort of just...describes stories about women and vaguely gestures at their similarities & contrasts without ever synthesizing them into something genuinely insightful. I read the whole thing, waiting for it all to connect back together, and it never does. At the risk of being harsh, it often felt like reading someone's undergrad essay — competent, but meandering in its thesis.
Additionally, this book's interpretations of its texts are so shallow and uninteresting, and often it seems like she's only skimmed the texts in question. There's nothing new or groundbreaking here. If you've taken any sort of feminism 101 type class, there won't be any new revelations here for you. I knew I was losing my patience with this book when her best examples of modern-day feminist heroine icons on screen are.....Carrie Bradshaw from Sex & the City and Lena Dunham's character from her series Girls. Come on, *really?*
Lastly, there are some things in this book that made me...side-eye it a bit. She doesn't explore stories outside the realm of cis, straight, womanhood; her only references to queer identities come with vague handwaves, and are never actually applied to queer women (she describes some cis straight female characters as having 'gender fluid' tendencies for having stereotypically masculine personality traits or less feminine appearances). Also, while she claims in the epilogue it isn't her goal, this book often does get gender-essentialist in its analysis, ascribing curiosity and compassion and kindness and nurturing as inherently feminine traits. Elliott Page is also dead named, which is a massive oversight on Tatar and her editor's part (Elliott came out well before this book's publication, they had time to fix it). I don't claim to know her intentions, and these may well have all been blind spots and oversights rather than acts of malice, but the result is the same either way.
Overall, I'm so disappointed with this book because the premise was so promising to me.
The book's strongest points are in the first couple chapters, when Tatar deconstructs female characters in Greek myths and fairytales, as well as modern transformative retellings of those stories. However, it never delivers on the promise it sets up in these early pages. In place of real critical analysis, she sort of just...describes stories about women and vaguely gestures at their similarities & contrasts without ever synthesizing them into something genuinely insightful. I read the whole thing, waiting for it all to connect back together, and it never does. At the risk of being harsh, it often felt like reading someone's undergrad essay — competent, but meandering in its thesis.
Additionally, this book's interpretations of its texts are so shallow and uninteresting, and often it seems like she's only skimmed the texts in question. There's nothing new or groundbreaking here. If you've taken any sort of feminism 101 type class, there won't be any new revelations here for you. I knew I was losing my patience with this book when her best examples of modern-day feminist heroine icons on screen are.....Carrie Bradshaw from Sex & the City and Lena Dunham's character from her series Girls. Come on, *really?*
Lastly, there are some things in this book that made me...side-eye it a bit. She doesn't explore stories outside the realm of cis, straight, womanhood; her only references to queer identities come with vague handwaves, and are never actually applied to queer women (she describes some cis straight female characters as having 'gender fluid' tendencies for having stereotypically masculine personality traits or less feminine appearances). Also, while she claims in the epilogue it isn't her goal, this book often does get gender-essentialist in its analysis, ascribing curiosity and compassion and kindness and nurturing as inherently feminine traits. Elliott Page is also dead named, which is a massive oversight on Tatar and her editor's part (Elliott came out well before this book's publication, they had time to fix it). I don't claim to know her intentions, and these may well have all been blind spots and oversights rather than acts of malice, but the result is the same either way.
Overall, I'm so disappointed with this book because the premise was so promising to me.
December 29, 2021
This is a fascinating expansion of Joseph Campbell's concept of the "hero's journey," which in Campbell's explication ignored any feminine heroes completely. Tatar counters this through an analysis of many of the heroines found in the (mostly Western) literary mythos and succeeds in highlighting many of the ways female characters forged their own heroic paths.
The following except struck me as being particularly insightful: Once written down, orally transmitted epics lost the improvisational energy that drove their tellings and retellings. Turned into sacred texts, immutable and unassailable, they became part of a literary-historical record, stories that no longer challenged listeners to weigh in, respond to, and reshape their terms and values as had been the case with oral performances. While traditional tales change with new tellings, the process of writing something down hardens historically contingent values into timeless truths. With this in mind, creators of modern stories can feel more free to reimagine these original tales without concern for a fidelity to an "official" text that itself once emerged from an ever-changing oral tradition. That's a very liberating way of looking at myth and legend. Tatar discusses a good many of these contemporary re-imaginings, though I think her book's strength is more in analyzing the older tales and laying the groundwork for how these contemporary stories function. After all, one is not hard-pressed to find literary analyses of contemporary fiction.
There was one moment in which Tatar marveled at how Campbell could ignore the cultural impact of Wonder Woman of his day when he was crafting his male-centered monomyth, and part of me wonders why Tatar seems similarly unmotivated to explore beyond her surprisingly rigid binary analysis of gender dynamics, despite hinting, from time to time, that she does realize that there is a lot more to unpack here.
The following except struck me as being particularly insightful: Once written down, orally transmitted epics lost the improvisational energy that drove their tellings and retellings. Turned into sacred texts, immutable and unassailable, they became part of a literary-historical record, stories that no longer challenged listeners to weigh in, respond to, and reshape their terms and values as had been the case with oral performances. While traditional tales change with new tellings, the process of writing something down hardens historically contingent values into timeless truths. With this in mind, creators of modern stories can feel more free to reimagine these original tales without concern for a fidelity to an "official" text that itself once emerged from an ever-changing oral tradition. That's a very liberating way of looking at myth and legend. Tatar discusses a good many of these contemporary re-imaginings, though I think her book's strength is more in analyzing the older tales and laying the groundwork for how these contemporary stories function. After all, one is not hard-pressed to find literary analyses of contemporary fiction.
There was one moment in which Tatar marveled at how Campbell could ignore the cultural impact of Wonder Woman of his day when he was crafting his male-centered monomyth, and part of me wonders why Tatar seems similarly unmotivated to explore beyond her surprisingly rigid binary analysis of gender dynamics, despite hinting, from time to time, that she does realize that there is a lot more to unpack here.
July 4, 2021
Heroines in myths, fairy tales, literature, and films did not always have the opportunity to go on great journeys as their male counterparts. They quietly sought justice and righted wrongs without all the muscle of Achilles or powers of Zeus. Heroines are now demanding makeovers, evolving and challenging authority, while still being curious and caring. Ms. Tatar discusses abducted and abused mythical Greek women and women's stories as portrayed in tapestries, sewing, and spinning. She moves on to how the wisdom in "old wives' tales" was discredited and degraded as the gossip of women. and the storytelling of ordinary folk. There are then discussions of the works of Louisa May Alcott, Betty Smith, LM Montgomery, and the detectives, Nancy Drew and Miss Marple and others. Closer to the present she discusses The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and the young warrior woman, Katniss in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Wonder Woman makes an appearance and films are covered as well. There is a large amount of women's history and literature by women and men in this book that will perhaps make readers reread the stories they read before from a different perspective. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.
October 13, 2021
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Heroine with 1001 Faces is an immersive folklore based examination of the heroine archetype in the collective cultural consciousness written and presented by Dr. Maria Tatar. Released 14th Sept 2021 by W.W. Norton on their Liveright imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is an erudite, very well written, layperson accessible look at the archetypes and portrayals of women in cultural narrative from the ancient world to the 21st century. It's a meticulously researched and annotated survey course and also, in a way, a companion volume (rebuttal?) to Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces. I loved poring over the illustrations as well as the exhaustive bibliography and full chapter notes and annotations. The chapter notes are likely worth the price of admission for anyone interested in the subject and there's obviously been a swoonworthy amount of time spent on research and resource gathering on the part of the author. I took notes during the read and harvested an impressive number of items which warranted further examination later.
I found the entire book quite interesting and fascinating. It is, admittedly, a niche book but will definitely appeal to readers interested in cultural anthropology. It's not a very easy read. The language is rigorous and formal. I definitely don't think it's inaccessible for the average reader, but it will take some effort (and I think that's a good thing). This would make a good support text for classroom or library use, for cultural anthropology and allied subjects, as well as a superlative read for those who are particularly interested in history, culture, and the arts.
Five stars. This is well and deeply researched and engaging.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Heroine with 1001 Faces is an immersive folklore based examination of the heroine archetype in the collective cultural consciousness written and presented by Dr. Maria Tatar. Released 14th Sept 2021 by W.W. Norton on their Liveright imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is an erudite, very well written, layperson accessible look at the archetypes and portrayals of women in cultural narrative from the ancient world to the 21st century. It's a meticulously researched and annotated survey course and also, in a way, a companion volume (rebuttal?) to Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces. I loved poring over the illustrations as well as the exhaustive bibliography and full chapter notes and annotations. The chapter notes are likely worth the price of admission for anyone interested in the subject and there's obviously been a swoonworthy amount of time spent on research and resource gathering on the part of the author. I took notes during the read and harvested an impressive number of items which warranted further examination later.
I found the entire book quite interesting and fascinating. It is, admittedly, a niche book but will definitely appeal to readers interested in cultural anthropology. It's not a very easy read. The language is rigorous and formal. I definitely don't think it's inaccessible for the average reader, but it will take some effort (and I think that's a good thing). This would make a good support text for classroom or library use, for cultural anthropology and allied subjects, as well as a superlative read for those who are particularly interested in history, culture, and the arts.
Five stars. This is well and deeply researched and engaging.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
April 28, 2022
"The Heroine with 1001 Faces" is a fascinating book and it has taken some time for me to review because parts of it were incredible and parts of it were really bad. Overall, it just made it a very hard book to review.
"Heroine" is a complement to Joseph Campbell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces." It focuses on the role and qualities of heroic women. She states her thesis early on in the book that the qualities of heroic women are communication, care and empathy- then she sets out to prove it- which she does admirably for the first four or so chapters. Once she stops focusing on fairy tales the writing kind of meanders off to places unknown and the book becomes less about proving her thesis and more about--I don't know really, but it comes dangerously close to an argument for biological essentialism and that is not great.
Tartar complains in several spots about Campbell ignoring stories of heroic women in his seminal work, at the same time, she also ignores these stories to focus on the role of women in fairy tales. She draws mostly from European culture with very few exceptions.
If this book had been half the length, if this book had focused more on fairy tales as a way for women to communicate with one another I would have given it a higher rating. That part of the book was incredible. The rest, just dragged things out unnecessarily and weakened the argument Tatar was trying to make.
"Heroine" is a complement to Joseph Campbell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces." It focuses on the role and qualities of heroic women. She states her thesis early on in the book that the qualities of heroic women are communication, care and empathy- then she sets out to prove it- which she does admirably for the first four or so chapters. Once she stops focusing on fairy tales the writing kind of meanders off to places unknown and the book becomes less about proving her thesis and more about--I don't know really, but it comes dangerously close to an argument for biological essentialism and that is not great.
Tartar complains in several spots about Campbell ignoring stories of heroic women in his seminal work, at the same time, she also ignores these stories to focus on the role of women in fairy tales. She draws mostly from European culture with very few exceptions.
If this book had been half the length, if this book had focused more on fairy tales as a way for women to communicate with one another I would have given it a higher rating. That part of the book was incredible. The rest, just dragged things out unnecessarily and weakened the argument Tatar was trying to make.
January 24, 2022
I really wanted to love this book, as I’ve been soaking up re-tellings of myths and folklore lately. However, I kept waiting for Tatar to weave the examples, history, and interesting observations into a substantive argument, and it just didn’t happen!
March 12, 2023
When you title a book as this author did, you’re signaling to the reader that you’re prepared for a fight. As a woman going up against a misogynistic legacy and actively referencing its own name in a display of one-upmanship (-upwomanship?), you’re promising you have some serious firepower. It’s bold. I’m breaking out the popcorn.
What I would expect to see in that fight would be, if not a brutal takedown of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth or a one-to-one match of heroine against hero, then at least a selection of lesser-touted female-centric narrative structures that contend with the hero’s journey, or new conceptions of heroism that help us redefine what’s praiseworthy or heroic. Unfortunately, I’d venture to say it’s on this last point alone that Maria Tatar delivers.
We’re all aware of what has shaped the traditional mythical male heroes, what makes them worthy of praise and imitation. But what about the women in those same stories and from those same times and cultures? Clearly the long global repression of women means that for the most part they haven’t shared the cultural spotlight with their male counterparts. In that case, it does make sense to dig in and investigate by what values we define heroism.
By way of example, Tatar offers up the power of speech and storytelling as a means of testimony in the pursuit of justice; as a means of speaking truth to power; as a means of handing down morals, history, and other cultural values generationally; and as a means of rebellion and defiance against silencing powers. She also talks about the power of endurance and survival, e.g. of domestic violence, as heroic. There’s self-sacrifice and the preservation and restoration of life as well. There’s empathy and social awareness, walking in the shoes of others. There’s cleverness and bravado. There are all sorts of metrics by which women have defied the odds and accomplished heroic feats without the same level of cultural reverberation as those who wield swords and guns and slaughter multitudes.
For this part of Tatar’s analysis I’m grateful, and I look forward to seeing more work expounding on these themes in the future. But unfortunately for the rest of the book, a toe-to-toe match with Campbell this is not.
For one thing, Tatar’s approach is entirely too narrow, diving deeply on ancient sources with the waters becoming more shallow as time marches on. (Once we get to Hollywood…oof, what a strange field of picked cherries we’re pulled through!) Her focus is also heavily Western, where Campbell focused globally. Now, of course, the argument is clear that Campbell abused his global smattering of myths to remake them in his intended image. But still, if you’re going to promise 1,001 faces, I’d expect more diversity among them.
There’s also the unsubstantiated claims about male authors and editors that feel more like potshots than truly critical examinations. For instance, making a point about the men who have reshaped and conformed women’s narratives to their standards, Tatar states:
“The editors of the themed collections that we continue to publish today (the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, Joseph Jacobs, Alexander Afanasev, and so on) were for the most part men, prominent literary figures and political actors, who had no reservations about taking control of repurposing those vexing voices that had transmitted tales from one generation to the next.” (116-117)
No reservations? They were vexed by women’s voices? Where is the supporting evidence? I mean, I feel like she’s onto something, but she doesn’t go far enough to drive it home.
In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with this quote from the author herself (and please keep in mind her book’s title):
“In many ways, we are in an exploratory phase, for no one has yet written a rule book along the lines of The Hero with a Thousand Faces for the heroine’s journey and quest…” (241)
Allora, esatto.
What I would expect to see in that fight would be, if not a brutal takedown of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth or a one-to-one match of heroine against hero, then at least a selection of lesser-touted female-centric narrative structures that contend with the hero’s journey, or new conceptions of heroism that help us redefine what’s praiseworthy or heroic. Unfortunately, I’d venture to say it’s on this last point alone that Maria Tatar delivers.
We’re all aware of what has shaped the traditional mythical male heroes, what makes them worthy of praise and imitation. But what about the women in those same stories and from those same times and cultures? Clearly the long global repression of women means that for the most part they haven’t shared the cultural spotlight with their male counterparts. In that case, it does make sense to dig in and investigate by what values we define heroism.
By way of example, Tatar offers up the power of speech and storytelling as a means of testimony in the pursuit of justice; as a means of speaking truth to power; as a means of handing down morals, history, and other cultural values generationally; and as a means of rebellion and defiance against silencing powers. She also talks about the power of endurance and survival, e.g. of domestic violence, as heroic. There’s self-sacrifice and the preservation and restoration of life as well. There’s empathy and social awareness, walking in the shoes of others. There’s cleverness and bravado. There are all sorts of metrics by which women have defied the odds and accomplished heroic feats without the same level of cultural reverberation as those who wield swords and guns and slaughter multitudes.
For this part of Tatar’s analysis I’m grateful, and I look forward to seeing more work expounding on these themes in the future. But unfortunately for the rest of the book, a toe-to-toe match with Campbell this is not.
For one thing, Tatar’s approach is entirely too narrow, diving deeply on ancient sources with the waters becoming more shallow as time marches on. (Once we get to Hollywood…oof, what a strange field of picked cherries we’re pulled through!) Her focus is also heavily Western, where Campbell focused globally. Now, of course, the argument is clear that Campbell abused his global smattering of myths to remake them in his intended image. But still, if you’re going to promise 1,001 faces, I’d expect more diversity among them.
There’s also the unsubstantiated claims about male authors and editors that feel more like potshots than truly critical examinations. For instance, making a point about the men who have reshaped and conformed women’s narratives to their standards, Tatar states:
“The editors of the themed collections that we continue to publish today (the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, Joseph Jacobs, Alexander Afanasev, and so on) were for the most part men, prominent literary figures and political actors, who had no reservations about taking control of repurposing those vexing voices that had transmitted tales from one generation to the next.” (116-117)
No reservations? They were vexed by women’s voices? Where is the supporting evidence? I mean, I feel like she’s onto something, but she doesn’t go far enough to drive it home.
In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with this quote from the author herself (and please keep in mind her book’s title):
“In many ways, we are in an exploratory phase, for no one has yet written a rule book along the lines of The Hero with a Thousand Faces for the heroine’s journey and quest…” (241)
Allora, esatto.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2021
This book is a feminist answer to Robert Campbell's classic Hero with thousand faces. Tatar starts with a female student visit to Campbell's office hour: Where are the female heroes, I want to be a hero! However, this book complements, not supplants Campbell's text. Full disclosure: I've never met Maria Tatar but her now retired sister, Anna, was director at my library system. (I've been wanting to use that phrase for ages!) Tatar makes an excellent case for females being heroines but in still neglected forms of the arts, such as fairy tales and folktales, both relegated to children. In general, Tatar is quite convincing. She points out how movies and Young Adult literature are moving towards acknowledging that women's roles including gender fluidity have changed drastically over the last century as well as POC. She also gives due notice to Nancy Drew's effect on many women, including several Supreme Court Justices, even though libraries tended to refuse to shelve her and her Stratemeyer Syndicate siblings. However, the focus of the book was on fairy tales and folk tales. She points out that they have always been sneered at whereas myths are worthy of college classes. On the same theme, she demands why has her literature colleagues never included "Little Women" in their classes of great literature when so many of Alcott's contemporaries and friends were included?
Why did I remove a star from what should and hopefully will become used in literature classes? Because it really was a bit too long for my patience. An immature reason, stipulated, but it really could have been a bit shorter without much of chapter 6! It was relevant but she had already made her point in many ways.
Highly recommended for women (and men!) wondering why currents arts seem to be suddenly finally focusing on women in a new way and wondering when the spell of Campbell will fade because they want to be heroes!
Please note that I read an ARC, won through Goodreads. This didn't impact my review of the title, except in keeping me from procrastinating on reading the book.
Why did I remove a star from what should and hopefully will become used in literature classes? Because it really was a bit too long for my patience. An immature reason, stipulated, but it really could have been a bit shorter without much of chapter 6! It was relevant but she had already made her point in many ways.
Highly recommended for women (and men!) wondering why currents arts seem to be suddenly finally focusing on women in a new way and wondering when the spell of Campbell will fade because they want to be heroes!
Please note that I read an ARC, won through Goodreads. This didn't impact my review of the title, except in keeping me from procrastinating on reading the book.
December 8, 2021
Very highly recommended for anyone interested in the influence of women in literature and women of literature.
Read
January 11, 2022I'm very glad that this happened to be the first book that I read this year, because I can already tell that it is going to be influential in how I am reading moving forward. I was especially interested in the way that Tatar considers the power of who tells stories - which is not an original idea, but one which she argues particularly well, considering the instances in which speaking and writing weren't available to the storytellers, who found other ways to communicate and sustain credibility. Her analysis of which stories have been chosen to be commercialized, the gender of and manner of defeat of villains, and the shift in recent storytelling by and about women, were also very interesting to read. I would highly recommend this to all avid readers, to consider a shift in perspective.
April 7, 2022
This is a really incredible book. Even if you’re not overly familiar with Joeseph Campbell you’ll get so much from it. It’s incredibly well researched and communicated. It’s engaging and relevant! I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author
December 16, 2022
A Heroína de 1.001 Faces
Tão logo vi o título desse livro, cresci o olho para ele. Conhecia a Tatar pela coletânea anotada dos Contos de Fadas que a Zahar lançou por aqui, e a referência dupla que ele contém - à jornada do herói e Sherazade numa tacada só - é exatamente o tipo de isca que se usa para fisgar minha atenção. Convenientemente, ganhei-o de presente agora no fim do ano e ele atropelou toda a lista de leituras que tinha por fazer.
A Heroína de 1.001 Faces, como já bem declara só pela capa, explora a ideia arquetípica da jornada do herói trabalhada por Joseph Campbell, mas por uma perspectiva integralmente feminina, e não apenas colocando uma mulher no ciclo que ele definiu, mas mergulhando na experiência de ser mulher em mitos e contos de fadas, evoluindo até as protagonistas femininas que consumimos hoje pela mídia.
É importante frisar esse ponto, porque, nos escritos de Campbell, a mulher não é heroína, mas musa do herói, um prêmio a ser alcançado, um objeto a ser possuído. Como Tatar sublinha várias vezes - com falas do próprio Campbell -, o ideal máximo a que uma mulher pode aspirar dentro da jornada do herói é o de ser mãe. E ponto final.
Eu me lembro de quando descobri Joseph Campbell. Não foi por um ensaio ou matéria que li em algum lugar, tratando de assuntos folclóricos, mas numa menção a O Poder do Mito em Gilmore Girls. Rory abandona uma festa super concorrida para assistir o DVD da entrevista concedida por Campbell ao jornalista Bill Moyers.
São algumas longas horas de ‘falação’, sem efeitos especiais espetaculares, mas, uma vez tendo conseguido acesso a gravação (e ao livro com a transcrição), eu quase não consegui parar de assistir. Campbell tinha o dom de contar histórias, de colocar seu ouvinte sobre um tipo de feitiço, quase como um daqueles encantadores de serpentes.
Encontrei O Herói de Mil Faces na rua dos sebos atrás da faculdade e devorei-o. Fui a outros livros do Campbell em seguida - mas não me interessei muito por seus escritos mais místicos. O que me fascinava era sua forma de soprar vida nos mitos antigos, encontrar padrões e costurar o folclore de todos os cantos do mundo; e os desdobramentos disso para a criação da mídia que consumimos hoje em dia, dos livros aos filmes e séries. Foi assim, aliás, que acabei encontrando A Jornada do Escritor, do Vogler - e, usando de todas essas referências, trabalhei no ensaio sobre a jornada do herói cá para o blog - no mesmo ano em que Gaiman lançava seu Mitologia Nórdica por sinal.
Descobri enquanto rascunhava essa resenha que tenho ‘ciclos’ de leitura mítica. Mitologia é um assunto que me interessa desde criança quando descobri Hércules e todo o Olimpo com as aventuras de Emília, Pedrinho e o Visconde de Sabugosa na Grécia Antiga. Cheguei a um certo ponto de saturação e abandonei o assunto, até por volta dos treze, quatorze anos, quando mergulhei na minha fase ‘egiptóloga’. Vários volumes de Christian Jacq e muitas Sessões da Tarde com A Múmia depois (além da primeira leitura direta de As Mil e Uma Noites, outro ponto de saturação. Aí reencontrei meu gosto por mitologia nos primeiros anos de faculdade, quando descobri Campbell. Foi a época em que minha prateleira para o assunto mais se expandiu, com frequentes visitas à rua dos sebos - com um foco especial para as mitologias que tivessem servido de inspiração a O Senhor dos Anéis. É, eu sei, sou uma pessoa previsível…
Enfim, em 2020 entrei num novo ciclo, que começou com Stephen Fry demonstrando o quanto ainda bebemos da mitologia greco-romana, no que foi seguido por Natalie Haynes e Gail Carriger com suas perspectivas femininas desse arcabouço cultural que carregamos como frutos da civilização ocidental.
Tatar bebe em todas essas referências e foi interessante fazer sua leitura agora, porque foi como o culminar de várias reflexões inspiradas em todos esses pontos de vista diferentes de velhos temas. Eu gosto quando minhas leituras se empilham como escadinhas, uma ajudando a construir a compreensão da outra - especialmente quando se trata de uma ideia com a qual eu não atinara antes. Na verdade, A Heroína de 1.001 Faces me trouxe vários insights que deveriam ter sido óbvios, mas que eu talvez fosse muito nova para perceber quando fiz minha primeira leitura deles, especialmente no que diz respeito ao abuso, violência e silenciamento a que essas personagens femininas estavam constantemente ligadas.
E isso com uma ampla gama de heroínas, de todos os tipos, em várias roupagens e releituras. Tatar trabalha Cassandra e Briseida, Circe e Filomena, tanto nos textos cânones de figuras como Homero e Ovídio quanto na miríade de revisitações modernas desses textos, que vão de Madeline Miller a Margaret Atwood. Explora os contos de fadas com referência aos poemas de Anne Sexton e aos resgates de Angela Carter. Traz Sherazade e Jo March, Miss Marple e Anne Shirley, Nancy Drew e Lisbeth Salander, Hermione Granger e a Mulher-Maravilha. Explora as metáforas ligadas às artes têxteis e o narrar de histórias, a importância da curiosidade e empatia e uma constante busca de justiça e por se fazer ouvir em boa parte desses contos.
Com todas essas referências e desvelar de significados, Tatar demonstra o quão importante esses contos foram, e continuam sendo, na nossa cultura e identidade - num texto ágil, muito bem costurado com movimentos sociais, questões que embora sempre presentes, explodiram nos últimos anos em debates na grande mídia e redes sociais. É uma daquelas leituras que fica reverberando na cabeça, para o qual voltamos sempre que pegamos algo do material original que Tatar usou em sua pesquisa.
Outro que vai para a lista de melhores do ano.
Tão logo vi o título desse livro, cresci o olho para ele. Conhecia a Tatar pela coletânea anotada dos Contos de Fadas que a Zahar lançou por aqui, e a referência dupla que ele contém - à jornada do herói e Sherazade numa tacada só - é exatamente o tipo de isca que se usa para fisgar minha atenção. Convenientemente, ganhei-o de presente agora no fim do ano e ele atropelou toda a lista de leituras que tinha por fazer.
A Heroína de 1.001 Faces, como já bem declara só pela capa, explora a ideia arquetípica da jornada do herói trabalhada por Joseph Campbell, mas por uma perspectiva integralmente feminina, e não apenas colocando uma mulher no ciclo que ele definiu, mas mergulhando na experiência de ser mulher em mitos e contos de fadas, evoluindo até as protagonistas femininas que consumimos hoje pela mídia.
É importante frisar esse ponto, porque, nos escritos de Campbell, a mulher não é heroína, mas musa do herói, um prêmio a ser alcançado, um objeto a ser possuído. Como Tatar sublinha várias vezes - com falas do próprio Campbell -, o ideal máximo a que uma mulher pode aspirar dentro da jornada do herói é o de ser mãe. E ponto final.
Eu me lembro de quando descobri Joseph Campbell. Não foi por um ensaio ou matéria que li em algum lugar, tratando de assuntos folclóricos, mas numa menção a O Poder do Mito em Gilmore Girls. Rory abandona uma festa super concorrida para assistir o DVD da entrevista concedida por Campbell ao jornalista Bill Moyers.
São algumas longas horas de ‘falação’, sem efeitos especiais espetaculares, mas, uma vez tendo conseguido acesso a gravação (e ao livro com a transcrição), eu quase não consegui parar de assistir. Campbell tinha o dom de contar histórias, de colocar seu ouvinte sobre um tipo de feitiço, quase como um daqueles encantadores de serpentes.
Encontrei O Herói de Mil Faces na rua dos sebos atrás da faculdade e devorei-o. Fui a outros livros do Campbell em seguida - mas não me interessei muito por seus escritos mais místicos. O que me fascinava era sua forma de soprar vida nos mitos antigos, encontrar padrões e costurar o folclore de todos os cantos do mundo; e os desdobramentos disso para a criação da mídia que consumimos hoje em dia, dos livros aos filmes e séries. Foi assim, aliás, que acabei encontrando A Jornada do Escritor, do Vogler - e, usando de todas essas referências, trabalhei no ensaio sobre a jornada do herói cá para o blog - no mesmo ano em que Gaiman lançava seu Mitologia Nórdica por sinal.
Descobri enquanto rascunhava essa resenha que tenho ‘ciclos’ de leitura mítica. Mitologia é um assunto que me interessa desde criança quando descobri Hércules e todo o Olimpo com as aventuras de Emília, Pedrinho e o Visconde de Sabugosa na Grécia Antiga. Cheguei a um certo ponto de saturação e abandonei o assunto, até por volta dos treze, quatorze anos, quando mergulhei na minha fase ‘egiptóloga’. Vários volumes de Christian Jacq e muitas Sessões da Tarde com A Múmia depois (além da primeira leitura direta de As Mil e Uma Noites, outro ponto de saturação. Aí reencontrei meu gosto por mitologia nos primeiros anos de faculdade, quando descobri Campbell. Foi a época em que minha prateleira para o assunto mais se expandiu, com frequentes visitas à rua dos sebos - com um foco especial para as mitologias que tivessem servido de inspiração a O Senhor dos Anéis. É, eu sei, sou uma pessoa previsível…
Enfim, em 2020 entrei num novo ciclo, que começou com Stephen Fry demonstrando o quanto ainda bebemos da mitologia greco-romana, no que foi seguido por Natalie Haynes e Gail Carriger com suas perspectivas femininas desse arcabouço cultural que carregamos como frutos da civilização ocidental.
Tatar bebe em todas essas referências e foi interessante fazer sua leitura agora, porque foi como o culminar de várias reflexões inspiradas em todos esses pontos de vista diferentes de velhos temas. Eu gosto quando minhas leituras se empilham como escadinhas, uma ajudando a construir a compreensão da outra - especialmente quando se trata de uma ideia com a qual eu não atinara antes. Na verdade, A Heroína de 1.001 Faces me trouxe vários insights que deveriam ter sido óbvios, mas que eu talvez fosse muito nova para perceber quando fiz minha primeira leitura deles, especialmente no que diz respeito ao abuso, violência e silenciamento a que essas personagens femininas estavam constantemente ligadas.
E isso com uma ampla gama de heroínas, de todos os tipos, em várias roupagens e releituras. Tatar trabalha Cassandra e Briseida, Circe e Filomena, tanto nos textos cânones de figuras como Homero e Ovídio quanto na miríade de revisitações modernas desses textos, que vão de Madeline Miller a Margaret Atwood. Explora os contos de fadas com referência aos poemas de Anne Sexton e aos resgates de Angela Carter. Traz Sherazade e Jo March, Miss Marple e Anne Shirley, Nancy Drew e Lisbeth Salander, Hermione Granger e a Mulher-Maravilha. Explora as metáforas ligadas às artes têxteis e o narrar de histórias, a importância da curiosidade e empatia e uma constante busca de justiça e por se fazer ouvir em boa parte desses contos.
Com todas essas referências e desvelar de significados, Tatar demonstra o quão importante esses contos foram, e continuam sendo, na nossa cultura e identidade - num texto ágil, muito bem costurado com movimentos sociais, questões que embora sempre presentes, explodiram nos últimos anos em debates na grande mídia e redes sociais. É uma daquelas leituras que fica reverberando na cabeça, para o qual voltamos sempre que pegamos algo do material original que Tatar usou em sua pesquisa.
Outro que vai para a lista de melhores do ano.
July 25, 2022
I started a notebook while reading this book, until it dawned I bought the book, so I could tag it as much as I liked. A friend recommended I watch a video discussion with several other professors about women + mythology. I was familiar with Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, but didn't know he said there was no model for hero quest for women. Reading my notes, I get the impression that, if we add "trickster" to "hero" then we get a heroine.
'...survival skills, crossing challenging boundaries, property rights and outsmarting all who see them as easy prey. They are also committed to social causes and political change.' inre: Katniss Everdeen. "incarnating paradox, exploiting contradictions and enabling dualities."
Tartar asks if we are copy/pasting Campbell in discussing heroines by mimicking old archetypes rather than creating an archetype that is in tune with the values we embrace today - empathy, care and connection.
Tatar wonders if writers and filmmakers are picking up on disturbances in the airwaves or capturing their own fantasies and anxieties, or a combination of both. I wonder - does it matter? Energetic vortices are that combination.
I loaned this book to a friend, and I'm looking forward to getting it back, so I can make better notes for further reading. I learned new words and phrases.
Apotropaic: the power to avert evil or bad luck.
Exegete: interpreter of text (especially of scripture)
Sui generis: unique
Final Girl: horror movie survivor trope
'...survival skills, crossing challenging boundaries, property rights and outsmarting all who see them as easy prey. They are also committed to social causes and political change.' inre: Katniss Everdeen. "incarnating paradox, exploiting contradictions and enabling dualities."
Tartar asks if we are copy/pasting Campbell in discussing heroines by mimicking old archetypes rather than creating an archetype that is in tune with the values we embrace today - empathy, care and connection.
Tatar wonders if writers and filmmakers are picking up on disturbances in the airwaves or capturing their own fantasies and anxieties, or a combination of both. I wonder - does it matter? Energetic vortices are that combination.
I loaned this book to a friend, and I'm looking forward to getting it back, so I can make better notes for further reading. I learned new words and phrases.
Apotropaic: the power to avert evil or bad luck.
Exegete: interpreter of text (especially of scripture)
Sui generis: unique
Final Girl: horror movie survivor trope
December 14, 2021
Fascinating. Definitely worth a deep reading; I’m going to have to buy a hard copy.
November 5, 2021
Such a brilliant innovative fascinating book. Maria will be a guest on my podcast Create Out Loud in the new year!
August 26, 2022
I would like to reread this book. The author challenges gender stereotypes and makes the reader think about representation and perspective in books influenced by societal norms. She covers, fairy tales, literature for all ages and movies. A thought-provoking nonfiction critique.
August 8, 2021
This book was long overdue and I thank Maria Tatar for writing it! For those who have recognized the silencing of women especially those who have suffered trauma this is for you. I could relate to this book so much more than the original tales of “great deeds” such as Odysseus. Filling in and bringing to light the other half of tales (and the other 50% of society) this title almost had me at tears in some places. It also highlights the changes our heroines have undergone and continue to undergo. This book is one more step on a path to having equality in our books, stories, and entertainment!
August 13, 2022
I am very sad that I didn’t like this book more. In fact, I expected to love it. I think the first couple chapters are strongest, where the author deconstructs aspects of womanhood in ancient myth. But once she starts discussing modern women, it got incredibly repetitive and boring. The author also used Elliot Page’s deadname, despite the fact that he transitioned in December of 2020 and this book was released in September of 2021. Overall, it had good parts but was somewhat disappointing.
July 25, 2024
The Heroine with 1,001 Faces by Maria Tatar is a powerful book of literary analysis seeking to do for heroines what Joseph Campbell famously did with "the hero's journey" (in which he dismissed female characters as having much purpose at all).
I really enjoyed most of the literary analysis in this book! I particularly loved the monomyth of woman as weaver/truth-teller/spider/spinner. Charlotte and her web, Arachne punished by Athena, Philomena exposing her assault through tapestry. Women and girls are silenced, limited in their creativity, but they use it. Women use their supposed invisibility to find ways around silencing. Telling truth, exposing story, seemed to be women's fundamental purpose in myth and folklore, broadcasting injury and harm to change the world or impose justice, even when their good work is then punished.
Increasingly over the years, the stories that women used to pass on knowledge became vilified in our culture, dismissed as 'old wives' tales' as women became gossipers, storytellers but of stories with little to no value. Yet even as this disdain for women's speech grew, women authors wrote characters who used their curiosity, nosy-ness, gossip, to succeed. And then they wrote heroines who learned to fly under the radar to investigate and expose the truth, from Nancy Drew to Marple to Katniss Everdeen.
So much of the analysis by Tatar was fascinating and brilliant. I did sometimes struggle with the writing however. In academic fashion, she brings in many examples where she'll analyze without a concluding statement or point. Sometimes I was desperate for a sentence at the end of an analysis or even a chapter that summed up a bit, connected it back to the larger thesis. I could have used a more conclusive tone, in other words, throughout a lot of the book, to keep me as a reader on track with the heroine's journey she was showing us.
Still, I loved a lot of this, and will take a ton of it with me moving forward as a reader and writer. I especially loved her point that myth is still evolving, that the women retelling old fairytales and myths right now are doing the work that was always needed, because those stories were never meant to be written, cemented fixtures, but ever-changing stories that shift to fit their times and listeners. Altogether, an interesting if sometimes difficult read.
I really enjoyed most of the literary analysis in this book! I particularly loved the monomyth of woman as weaver/truth-teller/spider/spinner. Charlotte and her web, Arachne punished by Athena, Philomena exposing her assault through tapestry. Women and girls are silenced, limited in their creativity, but they use it. Women use their supposed invisibility to find ways around silencing. Telling truth, exposing story, seemed to be women's fundamental purpose in myth and folklore, broadcasting injury and harm to change the world or impose justice, even when their good work is then punished.
Increasingly over the years, the stories that women used to pass on knowledge became vilified in our culture, dismissed as 'old wives' tales' as women became gossipers, storytellers but of stories with little to no value. Yet even as this disdain for women's speech grew, women authors wrote characters who used their curiosity, nosy-ness, gossip, to succeed. And then they wrote heroines who learned to fly under the radar to investigate and expose the truth, from Nancy Drew to Marple to Katniss Everdeen.
So much of the analysis by Tatar was fascinating and brilliant. I did sometimes struggle with the writing however. In academic fashion, she brings in many examples where she'll analyze without a concluding statement or point. Sometimes I was desperate for a sentence at the end of an analysis or even a chapter that summed up a bit, connected it back to the larger thesis. I could have used a more conclusive tone, in other words, throughout a lot of the book, to keep me as a reader on track with the heroine's journey she was showing us.
Still, I loved a lot of this, and will take a ton of it with me moving forward as a reader and writer. I especially loved her point that myth is still evolving, that the women retelling old fairytales and myths right now are doing the work that was always needed, because those stories were never meant to be written, cemented fixtures, but ever-changing stories that shift to fit their times and listeners. Altogether, an interesting if sometimes difficult read.
May 19, 2022
What makes a person a hero? In myths and folktales, they are usually those who perform extraordinary acts, usually martial in nature, and almost always are men. In The Heroine with 1,001 Faces, Tartar rightfully asks, what about the women? As she succinctly delves into our oldest stories, modern books, and movies, she notes how, largely due to the dominance of a male perspective, cultures worldwide have "gender distortions in our understanding of heroism". By re-examining mythology and folklore, she argues that women were heroic, but it requires us to diverge from Joseph Campbell's ubiquitous "hero's journey" model. While men were active in the wider world, female characters often fought social injustice through means like storytelling at home.
Unlike other similar works, Tartar speaks to a casual audience, writing with thoughtfulness and personal touches which emphasize why this matters. By examining modern works, and movements like #METOO, she also demonstrates that changes are occurring in popular culture and society. That the silencing of women is gradually lifting. However, her case is strongest for the West. While there are a few traditional stories from Asia and Africa, there is not enough to say that heroism, and female characters, are depicted in a similar manner.
For those interested in traditional stories, and their effects on modern storytelling, Tartar provides refreshing insight, and a message for all women, and other marginalized people. Tell your story. Speak.
Unlike other similar works, Tartar speaks to a casual audience, writing with thoughtfulness and personal touches which emphasize why this matters. By examining modern works, and movements like #METOO, she also demonstrates that changes are occurring in popular culture and society. That the silencing of women is gradually lifting. However, her case is strongest for the West. While there are a few traditional stories from Asia and Africa, there is not enough to say that heroism, and female characters, are depicted in a similar manner.
For those interested in traditional stories, and their effects on modern storytelling, Tartar provides refreshing insight, and a message for all women, and other marginalized people. Tell your story. Speak.
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