The Heroine with a Thousand Faces: The Female Archetype in Mythology and Literature

A grand study of female images in world culture, in which Harvard professor, cultural scholar and literary critic Maria Tatar challenges the canonical archetypes described by Joseph Campbell. She analyzes the «heroine’s journey» across the space of stories to convincingly prove that women are not only mothers, wives, or guardian goddesses of heroes. They can fight, deceive, travel, and tell stories driven by their own motives and interests, rather than merely complementing and inspiring men.

• What is the heroism of Penelope from «The Odyssey» and Shahrazad from «A Thousand and One Nights»?
• What connects ancient myths about Philomela and Arachne with the #MeToo movement?
• How can we explain the phenomenon of Wonder Woman?

The book is full of examples drawn from myths, epic poems, fairy tales, fiction, and cinema, where women become key heroines, and their unique journeys demonstrate the diversity and richness of women’s experience.

Photos with reproductions of famous paintings, film stills.

For those who share a feminist view of culture or are seeking a deep understanding of women’s role in society across different eras.