The Persephone project

Abstract

In contemporary works, Persephone has evolved from a kidnapped maiden goddess of myth to the loving partner of her former kidnapper. Persephone has also become a character of a “fandom” (a fan subculture) and “fanfiction” (stories about existing fictional worlds). On the social media website Tumblr and fanfiction website Archive of Our Own, fanfiction authors and fans all participate in the same tradition of story-making as the authors of mythology, and their texts are shaped by their culture's concerns and needs. For Perspehone fans, a key concern is the agency of young women. Feminism, a contested contemporary movement, significantly influences how fanfiction represents this concern. These stories also romanticize a relationship predicated on kidnapping and a lack of consent. Despite their complexity, it is too easy to criticize fan works about Persephone for being “not feminist.” The goal of this thesis is to complicate the assumption these stories and beliefs are not feminist. More specifically, it will analyze how Persephone and her relationship with Hades are depicted in fanfiction and how this relates to contemporary trends in feminism. It is always more complicated than “feminist” and “nonfeminist.”