Abstract
This project explores the idea of retelling classical myths. Greek myths have survived in both their original form and as retold versions since the earliest ages of written texts. This project uses four classical Greek myths as the basis for four modem short stories to illustrate the universality of themes and structures of classical myths. These four stories reflect the ideologies of the modem realism movement in fiction, as well as highlighting the way classical myths survive through their inherent capacity to be retold while retaining their original appeal. All of the stories in this project are based on myths found in Ovid's poem, Metamorphoses. Perfume for Catananche retells Ovid's version of the Orpheus myth with a focus on the love story inherent in the tale. Set in a fictional future on an earthlike planet colonized by humans, the setting most resembles an idealized ancient Greece with warm breezes, fragrant gardens and no mention of mechanical devices to distract the characters from their relationships with each other. The Singing Lesson is a tale of a goddess's revenge. A retelling of the Arachne story, it relates the tale of an opera diva and her ungrateful protege. A Stone Wall is based on an episode in Ovid's poem involving an unwelcome, talkative witness to Hermes's crime of stealing Apollo's cattle. The last story, An Amazing Weekend, uses a portion of Ovid's poem titled "The Raven and the Crow" as the theme for a new story centered on the uses and pitfalls of both getting and giving advice. Love, revenge, murder and gossip are themes that fueled stories in ancient times and yet still make for entertaining short stories told in modern terms.