Judith, who has degrees in classics, wrote Hand of Fire: A Novel of Briseis and the Trojan War, which I very much enjoyed. The novel takes the perspective of the woman whom Achilles pursues, depicting her as a fully developed person and not just a spoil of war. I was intrigued to learn that this spring, Judith published Achilles’s Wife: A Novel of Greek Myth Retelling.
This book tells the story of the woman Achilles married before he sailed for Troy. I caught up with Judith to ask her some questions.
Nancy Bilyeau: Please talk about what kind of novels you write.
Judith Starkston: I write historical fiction that retells Greek myths. In both my earlier novel, Hand of Fire, and my current release, Achilles’s Wife, I chose as my central focus women who have been silenced or marginalized in the myths. Many of the underlying assumptions of our culture came from the Graeco-Roman tradition—for example, the idea that powerful women are “monstrous” (or “brassy” or a witch, etc). My novels rework those stories in ways that expand our unconscious view of the “appropriate” roles for women. What better way to rewire our stubbornly ingrained archetypes than turning those ancient myths on their heads in immersive, entertaining fiction?
NB: What draws you to the story of Achilles and the fascinating women in his life, his mother, lovers and wife?
JS: In modern understanding, Achilles is often reduced to a selfish, bloodthirsty warrior who lets his fellow Greeks die because their Commander-in-Chief Agamemnon took away his war loot. That’s not how I see the tradition.
Briefly put, Achilles is the only one who challenges a greedy, power-hungry Agamemnon and the meaningless war Agamemnon has caused. Achilles is forced into withdrawing from the battle through the twists that come from this morally driven stance. There’s a cost to standing up to corruption.
So, as a character for my fiction, Achilles is a juicy source of tragic flaws, admirable courage, and, to add another element, ambiguous, complicated love stories with one all-important man and two (mythically silent) women. As you can imagine, Briseis and Deidamia (Mia for short) are no longer silent in my novels.
Hand of Fire takes place close to Troy, and the power struggles between Achilles and Agamemnon are key to its plot, which is experienced through Briseis’s eyes as a war captive of Achilles. In essence, it’s the Trojan War told from a key woman’s perspective.
Achilles’s Wife opens earlier in mythic time, with Thetis, the goddess mother of Achilles, trying desperately to protect her mortal son from his foretold early death at Troy. She is a mysteriously powerful goddess, whose forced marriage to a mortal has turned her against all humans. She calls them “worms.” But she also faces the overwhelming force of motherlove for her human son who will die. Trapped between contradictory drives, she makes decisions that throw her into conflict with her son—not the least of which is to “hide” him inside a woman’s body so no one will find him to recruit for the war. That’s a shift I added to the myth. Achilles is usually portrayed in slapstick drag, dressed up like a girl, but still in a very male body. No one would notice a big warrior in a dress, would they?
This shift from the silly to the traumatic creates room for Achilles, during his time as a woman, to develop a serious friendship with the young woman Deidameia, whom the myth tells us he married on the island of Skyros before the Trojan War began. Traditionally, the myth mentions only that she was a pretty girl whom he got pregnant.
You could sum it up: randy teen gets girl pregnant and splits. Not very interesting! Instead, growing out of their meaningful friendship, the novel explores a more complex story of gender and friendship, marriage and motherhood, and, most challenging, motherhood and governance.
NB: Does the popular culture’s fascination with the Trojan War present opportunities or challenges for you when writing historical fiction?
JS: The opportunities far outweigh the challenges. While some readers are very set in their view of these mythical characters and thus are positively allergic to “my” Deidamia or Achilles, most are intrigued to find new takes in each myth retelling, whether mine or any of the many excellent writers of the genre. Mythology-based films, like Nolan’s Odyssey, and best-selling novels set in the Trojan War, like Song of Achilles or A Thousand Ships, bring enthusiastic readers to this subgenre of historical fiction. Popularity is a benefit.
I bring historical accuracy to my Bronze Age Greek world that isn’t always found in this genre, and I think my readers appreciate it. I don’t think such dedication to history is required for good mythic tales, but it is for me. Mythology has always been full of contradictory and changing versions, so the current popularity of reinterpreted myth retellings is a continuation of a centuries-long trend. Most readers revel in that variability and creativity. That makes it very fun to write.
See more on Achilles's Wife here.
And you can read Judith's review of The Odyssey here. |
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