The Persephone Myth in Young Adult Fiction

"Investigating the widespread but understudied presence of the Persephone myth within 21st-century young adult literature, Cristina Salcedo Gonzâalez analyses six young adult novels which incorporate a reworking of this ancient Greek myth. Through the identification of mythic themes ('mythemes') and patterns within these novels, Gonzâalez shows that these works evoke the female life cycle and develop current perceptions of the female maturational experience. As a result, Gonzâalez makes an important contribution in establishing the cultural significance of young adult literature in the world of classical reception"--