Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024): For men only? The reception of epic from the perspective of gender
In its most canonical expression epic corresponds to a predominantly masculine imaginary: weapons and battles, heroes of exhibited masculinity, sea voyages, foundations of cities...
The monographic issue V, 2 of "AOQU" starts from this initial (and obviously superficial) idea to interrogate the gendered implications associated with the epic form. In particular, attention is directed to the listeners and readers of the various declinations of myth and epic, both as assumed at the time of the formulation of the storytelling and as a historically reconstructible subject. Is there in the epic a communication intentionally oriented toward women? If so, to what pragmatic purpose? Is it possible to trace a non-male readership or audience of epic?
The goal is, in short, to help define a framework of the reception of the epic genre from the perspective of gender. In accordance with the focus and scope of the journal, the topic will be addressed in several cultures up to our days, including non-literary approaches and including theoretical perspectives and comparative analyses.
