Edward Hopper’s Depiction of Modern Femininity in the Light of Archetypal Women in Greek Mythology

• Main Authors: Hsiao-Wen Tsai, 蔡曉文
• Other Authors: Ju-Ying Huang
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/25u8xc

碩士 === 國立臺北科技大學 === 應用英文系碩士班 === 101 === This paper seeks to explore Edward Hopper’s depiction of modern women can be viewed as a remolding of the archetypal women in Greek mythology. To further discuss the recasting of female archetypes in modern American settings, I have collected fifteen poems which were inspired by Edward Hopper’s paintings. Also, I have translated these poems into Chinese, which has helped me in acquiring a deeper understanding of the texts. To make a comparison with six mythical females, the fifteen poems are divided into three categories in terms of the roles women have long been expected to play in our society. This paper thus conducts an analysis of both Edward Hopper’s paintings and the responses of contemporary poets to his portrayal of women. According to Carl Gustav Jung’s idea, the term “archetype” serves as a “collective unconsciousness” (3); a prime example of this is the complex characteristics Edward Hopper projected on his wife and only female model, Josephine Hopper (1883-1968), which bear resemblance to the images of modern women shaped by contemporary poets and the reflections of six women in Greek mythology: Penelope, with her astounding endurance to wait for her husband; Andromache, who lacks the authority to stop the outbreak of war yet knows better than anyone the reality of human limitations; the Sirens, with euphonious but deadly voices; the beautiful witch Circe, with her magic power to transform valiant sailors into dirty swine; the nymph Calypso, smothering a man with deceitful love; and the ferocious witch Medea, sacrificing her children in revenge for a man’s betrayal. Influenced by a strong sense of uncertainty and anxiety toward the rapidly changing society in America, Hopper’s paintings were generally based on the themes of loneliness and alienation. While stressing the indifferent relationships among modern people, Hopper used the color red to depict men’s desire and an inexplicable fear toward women’s rising self-awareness. This is perhaps best exemplified by Hopper and Josephine’s marital relationship, which was built upon reciprocal respect and mutual competitiveness. Thus, from Hopper’s special ways of depicting Josephine, this paper shows that Hopper’s art chronicled the dynamic changes in American gender relations.