From peripheral character to narrative center: the transformation of focalization and narrative voice in Madeline Miller’s Circe

Abstract

This paper examines the transformation of Circe from a marginal figure in classical texts such as Greek mythology and The Odyssey to the narrative center in Madeline Miller’s Circe. The act of granting Circe narrative agency not only restores the female voice but also redefines the foundations of a new narrative paradigm that challenges the patriarchal structures of traditional myth. The study analyzes how Miller employs internal focalization and first-person narration to portray Circe’s journey of self-awareness, thereby demythologizing the classical heroic ideal and affirming the contemporary feminist tendency to rewrite myth from a female perspective.