Mythology in Contemporary Culture - Book Report/Review Example

Comparative Analysis Paper: Mythology in Contemporary Culture Mythology in Contemporary Culture Jeannine Hall Gailey's book, Female Comic Book Superheroes, is a short compilation of poems that presents mythological archetypes in way much new angle. These classical mythology and fairy tale archetypes are set against the background of contemporary culture, with the struggles and conflicts of contemporary women as the main theme. The book could be described as entertaining as it is a mix of comic, evil, sad, lyrical poems. In this paper, we will analyze, compare, and contrast, similarities and differences of one of Jeannine Hall Gailey's poem, The Villainess, from the Female Comic Book Superheroes and other material of the same theme, mythology in contemporary culture. The Villainess The Villainess resembles your mother, at least around the eyes - treacherous, limpid and seal-like. Inevitably handsome as a lioness, she commands ranks, smokes cigarettes, wears fur, has sex without apologizing. Sometimes, she looks just like you, but with crow's feet, more tattoos and better lingerie. She conjures dragons or viruses; she can lie easily to police or to you. And you must love her, though she betrays you in a heartbeat - you keep accepting the poisoned comb, the spinning wheel, with open, pale hands First, we will compare The Villainess with Batman character Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy debut came on June 1966 in number 181 issue of Batman Comics. Her real name is Dr. Pamela Lilian Isley. Her origins are vague but it is always assumed that evil men frequently used and abused her. However, during an experiment, she acquired special powers and became Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy's powers include an immunity to all known poison and having poison at hand. Her body is capable of releasing poison in her touch and the well-known poison kiss. With this kiss, her character can enchant all men at will. Eventually killing them if they succumbed with the poisonous kiss. On the character's good side, she is said to be a nature lover at heart. Her character was portrayed by the stunning Uma Thurman in the movie Batman and Robin that was released in 1997. With this, let us compare the Villainess with Poison Ivy. The villainess is said to be treacherous. This characteristic coincides with the Poison Ivy's character. This characteristic is usually not related with women nature unless the woman has a reason for being dangerously unstable. In Poison Ivy's case, she was abused by men and upon acquiring her powers her experience triggered the treacherous, vengeful character within her. Women, in this generation, upon acquiring power, whether it be on any occasion, business, money, or fame has the tendency to be treacherous. Thus, other people, usually men, consider her as the "enemy" or the villainess. Both women characters portrayed by Jeannine Hall Gailey's Poem and Batman's Poison Ivy are said to be inevitably handsome. In other words, stunningly captivating. It is very much well accepted that beauty is a woman's main means to increase her chance of getting whatever she wants in the society. For a woman to gain power, she can be sure that the more the society perceives her as beautiful, then the greater is the chance for her to succeed. However, not all women are said to meet the standards of the society for being beautiful. This results with the struggle of women against discrimination in almost any field they get into. In Jeannine Hall Gailey's poem, the character of the villainess is perceived to be unavoidable in terms of emotion. Every person must love her. Even if they know, in the end, or all of a sudden, she betrays everyone who loves her. In contrast, Poison Ivy's character remains as the one which will always be considered as the antagonist of Batman. One could be attracted with her, but it is unlikely to fall in love with her. Next, let us compare the villainess with the Charlie's Angels. Both characters use their beauty and body over their enemies. As said earlier, the contemporary women has their beauty and body as a means to get what they want. Even so, it is not mentioned in the poem that the villainess is necessarily brilliant. The poem says that she can lie to the police but this is maybe more on using her looks. Charlie's Angels, on the other hand, is said to be not only beautiful but brilliant as well. Women of the pop culture, with beauty and brains is the modern femme fatale. Another contrasting point is that, the villainess seems to be doing everything she wants all for her self. But the Charlie's Angels, possessing their talents and capabilities work for Charlie. Nowadays, situations like this are not rare. Women who have the potential to be successful sometimes happen to be working for someone. This might be due to their lack of confidence and their ignorance of what a woman can do. Women should be aware of their rights, talents, and potentials. They should prove something to themselves first, not minding how the society would see them. Women should be independent but not necessarily evil like the villainess. The Villainess and the Charlie's Angels both do things that would raise eyebrows in a conservative society. They wear fur, smoke cigarettes, have sex without apologizing, command ranks and have tattoos. But in reality, these are signs of independence, of being free to do whatever one wants regardless of what the society would say and think about them. The mythological standards might not always encourage women to be themselves and realize their potential and capabilities. But Jeannine Hall Gailey's poems shows that the modern women are encouraged to be independent for themselves. Meanwhile, for an additional analysis, The Villainess character is said to resemble the mother. Are mothers really enemies This might be true to all people, as mothers usually disagree with what their children want to do. But, we all know the truth that it is for the better. All these points and analyzing lead as to the question: Is the villainess one of those modern independent women we see during rush hours Could be or could be not. Contemporary women have struggles and conflicts within the society. The villainess is perceived to be evil, but in the real sense, her character is much more like practical. It is said that the end justifies the means. If so, then women can do everything to progress themselves. It is the right time to break the stereotype of women as the less capable as men. Mythology archetypes have been around for ages, ever since mythological characters and fairy tales have been written down. Since then, these archetypes have been considered as the ideal characters. But Jeannine Hall Gailey's book gives it a twist, tailoring character traits, making them applicable with the modern times. Many may find it amusing, others might find it offensive, but nonetheless, it is an eye opener for the struggles of the contemporary women. The modern cosmopolitan woman might be a villainess for others. On the other hand, the super woman might be perceived as a typical, family oriented woman. Times have changed. The woman who knows what she can do and how much she can do is the new protagonist in the society. The villainess isn't really evil. She is the epitome of a contemporary woman. Women are not tied with the ideals of the past, but as an individual, they have the right to be aware of what they can do and thus, they stand up for themselves and be independent References: About Ivy. Retrieved June 16, 2006. http://www.bluecherrydoughnut.com/ivy/ Berardinelli, James. Charlie's Angels Film Review. Retrieved June 16, 2006. http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/c/charlies_angels.html Comic Book Hotties. Retrieved June 16, 2006. http://www.comicbookhotties.com/models/uma-thurman-picture.asp Jeannine Hall Gailey Poetry. Retrieved June 16, 2006. http://www.webbish6.com/poetry/chapbook.htm Read More