Author(s): Chiara Bottici

Gender & Sexuality | Literature | Philosophy

A Feminist Mythology takes us on a poetic journey through the canonical myths of femininity, testing them from the point of view of our modern condition. A myth is not an object, but rather a process, one that Chiara Bottici practises by exploring different variants of the myth of "womanhood" through first- and third-person prose and poetry. We follow a series of myths that morph into each other, disclosing ways of being woman that question inherited patriarchal orders. In this metamorphic world, story-telling is not just a mix of narrative, philosophical dialogues and metaphysical theorizing: it is a current that traverses all of them by overflowing the boundaries it encounters. In doing so, A Feminist Mythology proposes an alternative writing style that recovers ancient philosophical and literary traditions from the pre-Socratic philosophers and Ovid's Metamorphoses to the philosophical novellas and feminist experimental writings of the last century.

Review: A fascinating investigation of the feminine as myth or mythmaking process. By brilliantly exploring, recombining and embroidering different variants of the "womanhood" mythologem, Chiara Bottici's book succeeds in confronting traditional frames of interpretations in order to provide an "imaginal philosophy" and an "imaginal feminism" constructed as speculative spaces where something new can happen. * Adriana Cavarero, author of "Relating Narratives: Storytelling and Selfhood" *

Contents: Preface: A Myth And A Half, By Jean-Michel Rabate Introduction: A Book Of Myths, By Chiara Bottici Part I. Two Myths And A Half First myth: Sherazade And Her Phantom Second myth: The Dress Of Ariadne Third myth: Europa Recovered Epilogue Intermission Part II. The City Of Women 1. Overture 2. The Vest 3. Rehab 4. The Oven Of Opposites 5. A Witch And Her Broomstick 6. A Bill 7. The Names 8. The Call, Or Occasional Tourism 9. Maximum Ten (With Addendum) 10. The Lifebelt 11. The Threat Epilogue Intermission Part III. Bestiarium Prologue 1. The Ostrich 2. The Butterfly 3. The Dog 4. The Snake 5. The Herring Epilogue Intermission Part IV. Herbarium Prologue The investor Interlude The inspector Interlude The dancing god Grand Finale

Author Biography: Chiara Bottici is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Gender and Sexualities Studies Institute at The New School in New York, USA.