Myths in Middlesex: Unfolding the Narrative T...

Myths in Middlesex: Unfolding the Narrative Techniques in Eugenides’ Middlesex

Author Name : Arathy K P.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56025/IJARESM.2023.116232740

ABSTRACT

As a subdivision of transgender writings, intersex literature also became more prominent in US in the recent times. Intersex is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. Middlesex(2002), a postmodern novel written by Jeffrey Kent Eugenides,encapsulates the life and conflicts of the protagonist Cal Stephanides through a different blend of narrative techniques. He tells the story of Cal through significant changes in narrative mode, problematic genes, occurrence of historic events and intermingling of mythical symbols. The character in Greek mythology often appears in the novel have multiple layers of meanings and functions in the narratological aspect. This paper aims to attempt a deep study on the importance of Greek myth and mythical figures employed in the novel and it also extends to figure out therole of myths in protagonist’s growth, realization and transformation to his identified gender.