Persephone’s Myth was raped over the coals by 4 Columbia Undergrads, who argued for a trigger warning on the recently maligned tale. Have we become so politically inept that there exists only one correct point of view and to heck with tolerance for anyone else with a varying takeaway?
This attack hits me personally as my newest MS, God of the Moon, is actually a romantic retelling of the Persephone Myth. I’m exceedingly proud of my novel, as is my agent—a woman, by the way–who agrees with me, full-heartedly, that the reimagining is an empowering, coming-of-age story–perhaps even the precursor, one may argue, to the uber popular 50 Shades of Grey.
I purposefully chose not to write it as a rape story, and readers should be made aware that the myth was originally not depicted that way, either. Other incarnations later disagreed, and that’s fine, as there are a myriad of choices an inventive author may make to reconfigure a story, just as there are multiple ways an audience may respond to what they read, depending on their particular awareness and experiences.
Just about anything one comes across can trigger an emotion, depending on one’s particular hot points and life history.
The truths we derive from any book are highly personal and unique to our situations, and that’s why there is no right or wrong in what we soak in. Just about anything one comes across can trigger an emotion, depending on one’s particular hot points and life history.
Shame on you 4 Horsemen of Censorship for inflicting your uninformed will upon innocent readers. Allow Persephone to work out her drama unmolested by scorned undergrads and, in turn, I urge you to welcome any tale of empowerment where you may find it.