Analyse the reworking of specific myths and fairy tales in one or more of the books studied
on this course.
Sylvie Germain uses allusions to myths and fairy tales in L’Enfant Méduse to explain the
atrocity of the rape and abuse suffered by the protagonist Lucie. Germain uses Lucie’s
fantastic engagement with the world to reflect her naivety and emphasise her vulnerability;
particularly through her belief in the fairytales Peau d’Ane and Le Petit Poucet. The use of
childhood stories as a means to report the abusive nature of the crimes could appear to
trivialise and undermine their severity, however, it is because of these accessible and familiar
myths that the book can be read with greater irony and detachment. This approach plays on
the reader’s former knowledge and highlights the magnitude of the heinous violation of
Lucie’s innocence and childhood. For instance, due to the eponymous title, the reader
inevitably draws comparisons between Lucie and the myth of Medusa. There are many
references to “son regard”1 and her stone-hearted demeanour, “Les yeux secs sont le reflet
d’un coeur sec.”2 Although we expect Lucie to be a monstrous character due to the
connotations of Medusa; the reworking of the myth allows us to see the human aspects of her,
for her persona is projected onto an innocent child. This compels us to sympathise with
Medusa as a victim of the gods, as opposed to a heartless monster.
L’Enfant Méduse focuses upon specific themes in order to connect together the many myths
and characters alluded to. The focus upon the recurring theme of sight evokes the myth of
Oedipus; a man who is unable to see the truth behind his incestuous marriage to his mother
until he is blind. This idea of sight thus relates the digression back to the emphasis upon
Medusa and her deadly gaze. Contrary to the title of the book, Germain barely reworks the
myth of Medusa but in fact focuses on more submissive mythological figures which she can
mould into feminist archetypes. Sellers stated that “myth, it would appear from the wealth of
women’s adaptations and reworkings, is a potent force in contemporary feminist fiction.”3
Therefore, there is particular focus upon the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Lucie’s
metaphorical descent into hell is reminiscent of Eurydice’s katabasis. However, the feminist
re-writing of Eurydice is apparent in Lucie’s attempts to deal with the horrors of the rape. She
takes an active and exclusive role in her ascent from hell; traditionally, Orpheus attempted to
save the helpless Eurydice. In addition, Germain alludes to myths surrounding the God Pan
which provides a commentary and analysis on the abusive nature of Ferdinand. Lucie and the
other victims are thus compared to the powerless nymphs, Echo and Syrinx. This
demonstrates the historical silencing of women’s voices; however, the fact that she eventually
speaks out then challenges this accepted tradition. The intertextuality present in L’Enfant
Méduse therefore ensures that both the myths and the book itself remain relevant and
sensitive to the contemporary audience.
Women were traditionally depicted as passive and subject to men, particularly in mythology
and fairytales. In fact, femininity was far from an idealised notion, this resulted in the blame
and oppression of women far into the twentieth century. Sigmund Freud famously stated
that: “Nor will you have escaped worrying over this problem (femininity) – those of you who
are men; those of you who are women this will not apply – you yourselves are the problem.”4
The original stories which Sylvie Germain incorporates into her novel date from Ancient
Civilisations through to the literature of the Romantic and Classical eras, they serve to
1
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 117
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 107
3
Sellers, S. 2001: 128
4
Freud, New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis: 128
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epitomise Freud’s traditional aspect of femininity and the female identity. However, the
reworking of these myths creates a relationship between Germain’s incorporating text and the
incorporated stories. L’Enfant Méduse absorbs, alludes to and appropriates the incorporated
myths and fairy tales which therefore influences and shapes how the audience read Germain’s
narrative. Simultaneously, the new interpretations of the incorporated myths undoubtedly
revolutionise the original myth, especially when we see the women taking on active roles
within the feminist rewriting. This is particularly evident through the eternal hell Lucie
continues to live in. The paradox of living in hell implies allusions to the reoccurring myth of
Eurydice, who despite efforts from the Gods and Orpheus, could not escape the Underworld
and remained in hell.5 In L’Enfant Méduse, Orpheus is represented by Lucie’s friend LouisFélix during their idyllic childhood. Yet, the revision of this myth actually shows an Orpheus
who is “le symbole de l’impuissance et de l’échec” for he is absent during Lucie’s descent
into hell and wanderings in a metaphoric exile.6 Although Lucie and Eurydice mostly follow
a similar path, Bacholle states that “Elle (Lucie) est le contre-pied d’Eurydice, figure de la
passivité et de la dependence fatale de la femme vis-à-vis de l’homme.”7 The idea that
dependence upon a man is ‘fatal’ reflects the rewriting of the myth in L’Enfant Méduse, for
Lucie’s independence and active approach to her Anabasis saves her; whereas, Orpheus
looked back at Eurydice on their Anabasis and lost her to the Underworld eternally.8
Therefore, the feminist re-writing of the myth suggests that dependence upon a man is fatal
for women.
The idea of Lucie wandering in purgatory for the murder of her half-brother Ferdinand recalls
Aeschylus’ Oresteia. Within this myth, Orestes is exiled and hounded by the Furies for
having committed matricide but is eventually acquitted of his crime by the Gods. This closely
links to L’Enfant Méduse, Lucie travelled the world following the murder of Ferdinand and
was only brought out of self-exile years later thanks to the postcard of L’Annonciation aux
bergers by Taddeo Gaddi, sent by her childhood friend Louis-Félix.9 The description of the
painting is an ekphrasis; defined as the graphic description of a work of art within a book, it
is a recognised literary technique of the Graeco-Roman world. The painting describes a scene
from Christianity where the sky lit up when the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the
shepherds. Germain uses the dichotomy of light and dark in order to explain Lucie’s
psychological journey to and from hell. Louis-Félix reminisces about the first eclipse they
saw together, the darkness of the eclipse was followed by the abuse inflicted upon her by
Ferdinand. In this painting however, the sky is shining behind the angel and the light that was
taken away in her youth is restored in seeing this ‘artificial eclipse’.10 This is an example of a
heterodiegetic mise en abyme as it represents the narrative by telling a different but analogous
story. It is used to draw connections between mythology and religion; it highlights their usage
as a means of redemption.
Germain also uses the dichotomy of light and dark as another means of incorporating myth.
Firstly, the name Lucie is derived from the Latin Lux, Lucis, meaning Light. This therefore
highlights her innocence, virginity and youthfulness. Secondly, Germain refers to Lucie as
‘Saint Lucie’, the patron saint of the blind.11 Through the use of such imagery and
5
Ovid, Metamorphoses: 10.1-105; 11.1-66
Bacholle, M. 1995: 1
7
Bacholle, M. 1995: 3
8
Ovid, Metamorphoses: 10.55-58
9
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 261-3
10
Bacholle, M. 1995: 4
11
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 66
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comparisons she draws attention to the myth of Oedipus and thus alludes to the idea of an
incestuous relationship. Germain focuses in particular on the common theme in Sophocles’
Oedipus the King of sight opposed with blindness. She describes Lucie’s family and friends
as “trop aveugles pour reconnoitre les traîtres qui se trouvaient parmi eux.”12 This provides a
critique on the family and friends who are completely oblivious to Ferdinand’s abuse of
Lucie; just as Oedipus and Jocasta were ignorant of their incestuous relationship. For
example, the blind prophet Teiresias said to Oedipus: “You have your sight, and yet you
cannot see where, nor with whom, you live, nor in what horror.”13 According to Sellers, “the
citation of a known pattern provides points of orientation and recognition so that the resulting
fiction contains a greater degree of resonance and applicability than an individual account is
generally able to generate.”14 It therefore seems likely that Germain imitated this idea of
vision and comprehension in order to forebode the everlasting and fatal affects of an
incestuous relationship; the allusion to the myth of Oedipus is proleptic of Ferdinand’s death
and Lucie’s exile. Furthermore, the imagery of eyes helps to connect this digression back to
the principal myth of Medusa and her deadly gaze.
It is interesting to note Germain’s different use of myth and fairytale. Whilst mythology acts
as a catalyst which drives the plot of L’Enfant Méduse; fairytales are used drive the thought
process of the young protagonist. The complexity of the plot is apparent for it is based upon a
learned application of classical literature. However, Germain’s narrative is a plausible child’s
account due to the entwining of these myths with Lucie’s thoughts, which are associated with
child is familiar with, to sinister themes such as rape, murder and psychological and physical
abuse. This reflects the ignorance of a child and the use of fantasy to provide an explanation
for the atrocities she cannot understand. For example, Germain describes a typical response
of a mother trying to protect their child from the horrific reality of life. Aloise is vague in a
response concerning the circumstances surrounding the death of her friend Anne-Lise;
therefore, Lucie is forced to “intégrer le mystère de la mort d’Anne-Lise à son imaginaire
pétri de fables et légendes.”15 Lucie alludes to Perrault’s Contes when she states that an Ogre
killed her friend. More specifically, the concept of Ferdinand being an Ogre refers to Le Petit
Poucet, a well-known fairytale with the stereotype of an ogre “qui mange les petits-enfants”
and “qui bien loin d’avoir la pitié les dévourait déjà des yeux.”16 In addition, Lucie also refers
to Ferdinand as a ‘loup’. The imagery of a wolf instantly reminds the reader of the fairytale of
Little Red Riding Hood. In this fairytale, a young girl is reminded to beware of wolves, for a
wolf is “an animalistic euphemism for lustful male stalker, ravisher and rapist.”17 The
combination of the threat being both a wolf and an ogre specifically reflects the plot, for the
threat is predominantly towards female children.
Sellers suggests that “myths and fairytales permit us to dream alternatives which can then be
incorporated into actual practice.”18 This idea could therefore be used to explain Lucie’s
behaviour and desire to “devenir maigre jusqu’à se rendre insaisissable, invisible, afin de
12
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 119
Sophocles, Oedipus the King: 413-15
14
Sellers, S. 2001: 133
15
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 62
16
Perrault, Le Petit Poucet: 294
17
Snodgrass, M. 2006: 333
18
Sellers, S. 2001: 136
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décourager le désir du loup, de couper l’appétit insatiable de l’Ogre.”19 This shows
familiarity with another of Perrault’s Contes, Peau D’Ane. In this fairytale, the princess
desired by her own father, disguises herself in a donkey skin in order to hide her beauty:
“Cachez-vous bien dans cette peau, on ne croira jamais, tant elle est effroyable, qu’elle
renferme rien de beau.”20 It is evident that Lucie imitates aspects of this story in an attempt to
remove the threat of her half-brother, Ferdinand. However, she is unaware that what is
appropriate and successful in the realm of myth and fairytale cannot literally transpire into the
human world. This thus highlights her naivety and emphasises the horror of the crimes
committed against a vulnerable young girl. Although Germain uses ideas from Peau D’Ane,
she adapts the characters and plot to show a feminist revision of the fairytale. Whereas the
princess traditionally continues to run, hide and wait for the prince to rescue her; Lucie
eventually challenges the given plot when she realises that fairytales aren’t true.21 She
retaliates against Ferdinand, without the help of a male, leaving him hospitalised in a coma
and finally killing him. This act represents her becoming active in her release from his control
resulting in her “regard de Méduse.” 22 It is significant that Germain chose the character of
Medusa to exact Lucie’s revenge as “Feminists have adopted her as a sign of powerful
womanhood.”23 It would therefore appear that whilst an innocent child uses fairytales as a
means of escapism, for the stories end ‘happily ever after’; strength and courage to grow
comes from the reality and acceptance of a malevolent world that is expressed in mythology.
Germain’s reworking of myth and fairy tale is incorporated into all aspects of the novel, it is
not just a tool to provide insight into the mind of a defenceless girl struggling to deal with the
harsh reality of an abusive brother, but also provides a template for the setting and structure.
Many of the scenic descriptions of woodlands and gardens are particularly reminiscent of
Theocritus’ Idylls. Theocritus was a Sicilian poet in 3rd Century BC who was particularly
renowned for his pastoral poetry. Although he dealt with ostensibly simple themes, his work
was highly sophisticated, self-conscious and allusively appealed to erudite readers. Due to the
pastoral nature of his work, many of the myths he incorporated focus upon Pan. Germain
follows a similar format, although she is dealing with fairy tales seen and told through the
eyes of a child, her style and subject matter are arduous. The myth of Pan and Echo features
throughout the novel and is used to connect many of the minor myths and fairy tales which
are incorporated. For example, links are apparent between Echo and Orpheus to describe the
power of music and song over the forces of destruction, demonstrated in the book through
Louis-Félix and Pauline playing the flute.24 Alternatively, we see the destructive nature of
Pan compared to the cult of Dionysus through the transgressive and drunken conduct of
Ferdinand.25
19
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 94
Perrault, Peau D’Ane: 227
21
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 100
22
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 145-55
23
Leonard, M. Zajko, V. 2006: 13
24
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 56-62
25
Germain, L’Enfant Méduse: 76
20
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