Louise Glück’s "Averno" : A Feminist Reception of the Myth of Persephone

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the reception of the classical myth of Persephone in Louise Glück’s 2006 poetry collection "Averno". It argues that Glück reimagines Persephone’s descent into the Underworld as a metaphorical framework for exposing the infernos young women experience in their transition to adulthood. In addition to situating "Averno" within the continuum of Persephone readings – spanning ancient and contemporary contexts – the paper identifies the reception strategies Glück employs to craft her critique. Drawing on the methods of Classical Reception Studies and Gender Studies, this analysis contributes to existing scholarship on "Averno" by showing how the author appropriates the myth through a female and feminist lens, hence providing a distinctly feminist appropriation of the story.