Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi (Jun 2021)
Jeanette Winterson as the Trickster-Artist in Weight
Abstract
The trickster is one of the outstanding examples of the concept of archetype introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung and is described as the collection of whole inferior features in the individuals' characters. However, in contemporary literature, the trickster archetype is described as a cunning figure, a truth-teller, a storyteller, and a transformer who plays with the laws of the universe. The trickster figure rejects accepting the truth blindly; defends demolition of outdated mentality when needed. Despite his/her destructive attitude, he/she is respected for the contribution to the design of cultures. Jeanette Winterson's Weight, the retelling of Atlas and Heracles' myth, was published in 2005 within the project of The Canongate Myth Series, which commissioned prominent authors to rewrite the myths of different cultures. Winterson, one of the preeminent authors of British literature, in her meticulously written hybrid fiction, deconstructs epic traditions through various literary devices and offers a blend of different genres. In her multi-layered work, the author tells her story through the mythological hero Atlas, with whom she identifies herself. This study aims to highlight the trickster-artist facet of Jeanette Winterson as a cunning and wise transformer and storyteller in the process of rewriting the ancient myth.
