The Persephone Myth in Young Adult Fiction From Girl to Woman

Investigating the widespread but understudied presence of the Persephone myth within 21st-century young adult literature, Cristina Salcedo González analyses six young adult novels which incorporate a reworking of this ancient Greek myth. Through the identification of mythic themes ('mythemes') and patterns within these novels, González shows that these works evoke the female life cycle and develop current perceptions of the female maturational experience. As a result, Salcedo González makes an important contribution in establishing the cultural significance of young adult literature in the world of classical reception. These novels, all written by women, also inflect or interpret the myth in ways influenced by their contemporary contexts, specifically the impact of the novels' target readership on the aspects of the myth that are either emphasised (e.g. Persephone's descent into the underworld; her existence there; and her re-ascent) or de-emphasised (e.g. the mourning and wanderings of Demeter).This book makes original methodological contributions – through its innovative dual perspective of myth criticism and classical reception – to our understanding of the academically neglected genre of young adult literature and the reception of the myth of Persephone. As a result, Salcedo González significantly contributes to establishing the cultural significance of young adult literature within the realm of classical reception.

针对珀耳塞福涅神话（Persephone myth）在21世纪青少年文学（young adult literature）中广泛存在却未得到充分研究这一现状，克里斯蒂娜·萨尔塞多·冈萨雷斯（Cristina Salcedo González）对六部重构了这一古希腊神话的青少年小说展开分析。通过识别这些小说中的神话主题与神话母题（mythemes）、叙事模式，冈萨雷斯指出，这些作品呼应了女性生命历程，并拓展了当代学界对女性成长体验的认知。借此，萨尔塞多·冈萨雷斯为确立青少年文学在古典接受研究（classical reception）领域的文化价值作出了重要贡献。这些均由女性创作的小说，亦结合当代语境对神话进行重构与阐释——具体而言，小说的目标受众影响了其对神话各维度的侧重：例如突出珀耳塞福涅坠入冥界（underworld）、在冥府的生活及重返阳间的情节，抑或淡化德墨忒尔（Demeter）的哀恸与漂泊经历。本书以神话批评（myth criticism）与古典接受研究相结合的创新双重视角，在研究方法上作出了原创性贡献，有助于学界深化对青少年文学这一被学术忽视的体裁，以及珀耳塞福涅神话接受研究的理解。最终，萨尔塞多·冈萨雷斯进一步推动确立了青少年文学在古典接受研究范畴内的文化意义。