Abstract
Recent studies of the female warrior figure, have shown that it is a character that needs rethinking and contributes to the subversion of the so called "female identity". The figure of these warriors or Amazons, comes up as a challenging one. On the one hand, seen as monsters and unnatural, and on the other, praised as erotic heroines, Amazons have for centuries inspired fascination and ambivalence both in western and eastern imaginaries. Represented across diverse cultural productions as an odd construction of power and gender, these figures have been typically used to test social conventions, both belonging to and displaced from society. These cross-temporal artefacts, who question in-gender performativity, are seen in many cultural productions as a threat to social order. Amazons were figures through whom different social anxieties were portrayed but also challenged. They act as a trigger to call into question issues such as the crossing between sexual and social matters. I aim to argue for the “globality” of the figure of the Amazon, as it is a well-established literary icon in different cultures across the globe. Moreover, they have influenced diverse narratives and artistic productions. Furthermore, when analysed, one might find that there are also representations which add to the counter narrative and resistance of gender roles throughout history.
Author Information
Blanca Barreto Puente, University of Barcelona, Spain
Paper Information
Conference: GLOBAL2017
Stream: Literary Studies / All genres/ Theory
This paper is part of the GLOBAL2017 Conference Proceedings (View)
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