Research Article

THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY

Volume: 12 Number: 2 October 27, 2025
TR EN

THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY

Abstract

This paper discusses the postmodern parody in Marie Phillips’ Gods Behaving Badly which reimagines ancient Greek mythology in contemporary London. It also explores postmodern parody and satire to show how the novel functions as a deconstruction of classical mythology, heroism, and divine power. The novel challenges ancient myths finding new relevance and satire in the gods of Zeus, Artemis, and Apollo forced to contend with real-life issues like capitalism and consumerism. It is a metaphor for the waning influence of classical mythology in a contemporary, nonbeliever world: the god’s complete descent from omnipotence into irrelevancy. Through the story of an ordinary man whose awkwardness and lack of traditional heroic also traits challenge received ideas of bravery, it examines the critique of modern heroism. How Phillips uses satire to critique the materialistic thinking that is so widespread today can be seen as an example of criticising postmodern culture. Even the afterlife, as depicted in the novel, is an arena under capitalist control. This paper applies Hutcheon’s theory of postmodern parody to Gods Behaving Badly which demonstrates how the novel blends humour with social satire to reinterpret ancient myths in a postmodern context. By analysing the novel’s engagement with traditional mythological narratives and contemporary cultural criticism, this study highlights how Phillips’ work functions as a site of literary transformation and social commentary.

Keywords

References

  1. Armstrong, K. (2005). A short history of myth. Canongate Books Ltd.
  2. Atwood, M. (2002). Negotiating with the dead: A writer on writing. Cambridge UP.
  3. Booker, M. K. (1991). Techniques of subversion in modern literature: Transgression, abjection, and the carnivalesque. University of Florida Press.
  4. Braund, S. (2012). ‘We’re here too, the ones without names’: A study of female voices as imagined by Margaret Atwood, Carol Ann Duffy, and Marguerite Yourcenar. Classical Receptions Journal. 4(2), 190–208. [https://doi.org/10.1093/crj/cls019]
  5. Brooks, P. (1984). Reading for the plot: Design and intention in narrative. Random House.
  6. Byatt, A. S. (2000). On histories and stories. Chatto & Windus.
  7. Calkin, J. (July 21, 2007). Divine Comedy. The Telegraph. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3666721/Divine-comedy.html]
  8. Calvino, I. (2009). Six memos for the next millennium. Penguin Books.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

October 23, 2025

Publication Date

October 27, 2025

Submission Date

December 22, 2024

Acceptance Date

April 9, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 12 Number: 2

APA
Demirtürk, M. (2025). THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 12(2), 558-575. https://doi.org/10.69878/deuefad.1605574
AMA
1.Demirtürk M. THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025;12(2):558-575. doi:10.69878/deuefad.1605574
Chicago
Demirtürk, Mehtap. 2025. “THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 12 (2): 558-75. https://doi.org/10.69878/deuefad.1605574.
EndNote
Demirtürk M (October 1, 2025) THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 12 2 558–575.
IEEE
[1]M. Demirtürk, “THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY”, Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 558–575, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.69878/deuefad.1605574.
ISNAD
Demirtürk, Mehtap. “THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 12/2 (October 1, 2025): 558-575. https://doi.org/10.69878/deuefad.1605574.
JAMA
1.Demirtürk M. THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025;12:558–575.
MLA
Demirtürk, Mehtap. “THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 2, Oct. 2025, pp. 558-75, doi:10.69878/deuefad.1605574.
Vancouver
1.Mehtap Demirtürk. THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAITS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK GODS: POSTMODERN PARODY IN PHILLIPS’ GODS BEHAVING BADLY. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025 Oct. 1;12(2):558-75. doi:10.69878/deuefad.1605574