Feminist Medusas and outback Minotaurs: why myth is big in children's books

Abstract

"Gorgon: a vicious female monster with sharp fangs. Her power was so strong that anyone attempting to look upon her would be turned to stone. The Gorgon wore a belt of serpents that intertwined as a clasp, confronting each other. There were three Gorgons, and each one had hair made of living snakes". In 'The Gorgon in the Gully' (2010), Melina Marchetta's delightful book for 10-12 year olds, no one has ever seen a Gorgon. But one apparently lives in a small valley near the sports fields at the school attended by a boy called Danny. When Danny looks up Gorgon on the internet, he finds the above definition. And his local Gorgon's reputation for fierceness is only equalled by its record as a hoarder of balls... Monsters from classical myth have been lurking in the gullies of Western literature for a long time - in retellings and adaptations, and acting as symbols and metaphors for aspects of the human experience.