The power of telling a story from an unexpected perspective
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Madeline Miller’s works The Song of Achilles and Circe are powerful, expertly-written retellings of stories that have been passed down and re-told across centuries. What makes them so striking? In part, I think, because they are so firmly grounded in her expertise in Greek mythology – while they are works of fiction, they are clearly informed by the ways the myths have been related in the past and the silences therein. And in part because they immerse the reader completely in the perspective of a character whose telling of the story is not normally heard.
The Song of Achilles takes the perspective of the partner of Achilles. Circe tells the story of a world dominated by male voices and mythmakers, from the perspective of a woman.
Imagine if more stories and histories — fictional or factual — were told from the perspective of often-invisible characters and silent voices. In this case, the myths that result are rich and complex tapestries that raise all sorts of questions about history, power and the voices we never normally hear.
