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Evangeline Walton's fictionalization of the "Mabinogion": The demise of the Goddess

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Date Issued:
1999
Summary:
Evangeline Walton's fictionalization of the Four Branches of the Mabinogion projects an alternative focus onto the collection of Welsh myths. Previous treatments and translations from Welsh to English perpetuate the traditional interpretation of the Mabinogion as the fragmented story of the Hero-God's life from conception to death. Walton's work changes this focus and subtly changes the structural order of the tales. Walton offers a narrative from the perspective of the female world view, as opposed to the male perspective which has survived with the tales from the time of their discovery in the Middle Ages. In a comparison of Walton's tetralogy to the translations of Guest, Jones, Gantz, and Ford, it becomes clear that Walton's use of symbols and structure, and her alternative focus change the Hero tale, or Boy-Mare tale, into an epic structured upon the decline of the Goddess in Celtic culture. The application of Mythological and Psychofeminist critical theories to the recurring themes, symbols, and archetypes in Walton's Mabinogion will demonstrate the existence of this nontraditional perspective.
Title: Evangeline Walton's fictionalization of the "Mabinogion": The demise of the Goddess.
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Name(s): Lincoln, Polly A.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Collins, Robert A., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1999
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 82 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Evangeline Walton's fictionalization of the Four Branches of the Mabinogion projects an alternative focus onto the collection of Welsh myths. Previous treatments and translations from Welsh to English perpetuate the traditional interpretation of the Mabinogion as the fragmented story of the Hero-God's life from conception to death. Walton's work changes this focus and subtly changes the structural order of the tales. Walton offers a narrative from the perspective of the female world view, as opposed to the male perspective which has survived with the tales from the time of their discovery in the Middle Ages. In a comparison of Walton's tetralogy to the translations of Guest, Jones, Gantz, and Ford, it becomes clear that Walton's use of symbols and structure, and her alternative focus change the Hero tale, or Boy-Mare tale, into an epic structured upon the decline of the Goddess in Celtic culture. The application of Mythological and Psychofeminist critical theories to the recurring themes, symbols, and archetypes in Walton's Mabinogion will demonstrate the existence of this nontraditional perspective.
Identifier: 9780599378056 (isbn), 15696 (digitool), FADT15696 (IID), fau:12452 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1999.
Subject(s): Waton, Evangeline--Four branches of the Mabinogion
Waton, Evangeline--Criticism and interpretation
Mabinogin--Adaptations
Tales--Wales--History and criticism
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15696
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.