Myth and Fairy Tale in Contemporary Women's Fiction

Myth and Fairytale in Contemporary Women's Fiction explores contemporary women's rewritings of myth and fairy tale. It examines the nature and role of myth, reviewing existing theories in an attempt to explain the ongoing potency of mythical paradigms in contemporary women's fiction despite the distorted images of gender they frequently present. To illustrate this, the book offers a series of readings of texts by a range of contemporary women writers whose fictions draw on, interrogate, or rework mythic models, including A.S. Byatt, Michele Roberts and Angela Carter.

Susan Sellers is Professor of English and Related Literature, University of St. Andrews.