Christa wolfs novel about the aftermath of the trojan war begins with the titular protagonist awaiting her execution. Swiss composer michael jarrell has adapted the novel for speaker and instrumental ensemble, and his piece has been performed frequently. Jason has abandoned his wife, medea, along with their two children. In 1995, christa wolf, the most eminent author of the former german democratic republic, published the novel medea. Pity poor medeaat least, thats what german novelist christa wolf would like you to do. This article offers a discussion of christa wolfs 1996 novel, medea. She served as a critic of the gdr through her immortal words. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. With the defeat of germany in 1945, she moved with her family to east germany. Long a sharpeyed political observer, christa wolf transforms this ancient tale into a startlingly relevant commentary on our times. Medea acrylic and mixed media embroidery thread, beads, foils, ribbon, glitter paper, metallic ink, and bronze leaf paint on paper.
In the midst of her lamentations, the nurse recounts how jason left his homeland, iolocus, in a. Thus we have, in summary, a tragic heroine who kills no one. Medea s nurse bemoans medeas fateshe has been abandoned with her two young children by her husband, jason, who has married the princess, daughter of creon, king of corinth. View notes christa wolfs medea from hist 102h at old dominion university. Christa wolf 1929 german novelist, short story writer, essayist, critic, and screenwriter. German novelist wolfs discursive retelling of the familiar greek legend, a logical outgrowth from her earlier novel cassandra 1984, ispace margaret atwood, who contributes an informative introductiona humorless and essentially predictable political allegory envisioning the reviled sorceress and murderer of her children as a victim of male arrogance and sexual insecurity. Divine will at the end of the play is enigmatic and discordant. All the events of play proceed out of this initial dilemma, and the involved parties become. After elaborating on the theory on revisionary mythmaking the essay tries to relate this theory to christa wolfs revision of the medea myth. We will pursue questions of myth, material culture, archaeology, poetics, and art history in ancient greece, as they bear upon the question of the figuration and conceptualization of the feminine.
A modern retelling by christa wolf, translated by john cullen virago, 256 pp. In her gripping new novel, christa wolf expands this myth, revealing a fiercely independent woman ensnared in a brutal political battle. It really doesnt get much worse than the marriage seen in this play. Before the end of communism she was revered on both sides of the iron curtain as a. Medea ebook by christa wolf 9780307828705 rakuten kobo. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Preprint version that stupid pelt helen king media. Immediately download the christa wolf summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching christa wolf. When jason takes a new wife, medea, his former wife takes revenge by killing four people, including their two sons.
Voices, a modern retelling through the voices, and. In this novel, christa wolf retells the story of medea, the wife jason, leader of the argonauts. Indeed, the play doesnt exactly have a bright outlook on matrimony. Wolfs career has been more a haunting of sovietbloc literature than a challenge to it. Stimmen appeared in 1996, some critics accused the work of being little more than a pale repetition of the earlier kassandra project. The modern reader, to fully understand the events of medea, needs to be familiar with. She is the other, the foreigner, the one who threatens the established order with her powers and invocations. Jason is blaming his obsession and lust to medea, always unwilling to admit what a phony hero he is. How does wolf delegitimize medeas traditional roles as developed by euripides, what does she displace through her version, and to what extent does she emphasize what euripides and many after him merely hint at. Medea is an ancient greek tragedy by euripides that was first performed in 431 bc. However, wolf gives her for the first time a voice, reimagining the murders and intrigues medea is involved with. In her gripping new novel, christa wolf explodes this myth, revealing a fiercely independent woman ensnared in a brutal political battle. Her family fled to mecklenburg at the end of the war to avoid the russian invasion.
Medea kills glauca by using the dress soaked in poison and a magical wedding wreath. A modern retelling 1996, she rewrote the legend of jason and medea as a story about a society in the west corinth that, because it. Christa wolf, who has died aged 82, was a german writer of rare purity and sensitivity who grew up under nazism and became an adult under communism. When christa wolfs memorial is held tonight in berlin, it wont be just a farewell to a writer but a national event. She studied german literature in jena and leipzig universities, where she met her future husband, gerhard wolf they have two daughters. Medea is among the most notorious women in the canon of greek tragedy. She studied at the universities of jena and leipzig 194953. Medea by christa wolf goodreads medea dover thrift editions by euripides and rex warner. During that fight, creon gets killed as well, and afterward, medea decides to kill her children as well. In this gripping new novel, christa wolf explodes the myth, offering modern readers a highly relevant portrayal of a fiercely independent woman ensnared in a brutal political battle. Voices, 1996, translated into english by john cullen as medea. This paper argues that, while broad continuities in wolfs concerns are obvious, the shift from monologue in kassandra to a polyphony of voices in medea is symptomatic of subtle, yet important shifts in. Medea is an extreme depiction of just how bad a marriage can go. Medea summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.
Pity poor medea at least, thats what german novelist christa wolf would like you to do. Medea is known for murdering her children and her brother, thus being one of the most sinister mythological characters. April goode 11282012 everyone has secrets medea by christa wolf christa wolfs medea is a revisiting of the original works. Christa wolf is a literary icon hailing from east germany who wrote books like cassandra and medea. A concise biography of euripides plus historical and literary context for medea.
She studied german literature in jena and leipzig and became a publisher and editor. He hopes to advance his station by remarrying with glauce, the daughter of creon, king of corinth, the greek city where the play is set. Medea is among the most notorious women in greek tragedy a woman who sacrifices her own children to her jealous rage. Continue your study of medea with these useful links. Ten years worth of stories by formerly east german writer wolf accident, 1989. Our key figures in this pursuit are sappho, the great lyric poet of the ancient world and the inventor of the lyric. The following entry presents an overview of wolfs career through 1998. Christa wolf, german novelist, essayist, and screenwriter most often associated with east germany.
She moved to east germany in 1945 and joined the socialist unity party in 1949. Greek audiences would have known the story of the illfated marriage between jason, hero of the golden fleece, and medea, barbarian witch and princess of colchis. Possessed of the enduring truths so treasured in the classics, and yet with a thoroughly contemporary spin, her medea is a stunningly perceptive and probingly honest work of fiction. I had passed over wolfs medea and cassandra for this very reason, but a fellow bibliophile with similar reading tastes to my own convinced me. I suppose we cant condone medeas actions, but we cant dismiss her motives either. Christa wolfs medea april goode everyone has secrets. Medea study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Kassandra is a 1983 novel by the east german author christa wolf. Medea is the suns granddaughter, so he sends a magic chariot without concern for justice. This paper argues that, while broad continuities in wolf s concerns are obvious, the shift from monologue in kassandra to a polyphony of voices in medea is symptomatic of subtle, yet important shifts in her approach to myth and her.
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