Parodia, dialogismo e intertestualità in For Her Dark Skin di Percival Everett

Abstract

Among Greek tragedies, Euripides' Medea embodies the image of desire, contempt, and revenge. His myth continues to fascinate writers, the public and scholars, as evidenced by the periodic reinterpretations, translations and representations that continue to follow one another. With For Her Dark Skin (1990), Percival Everett joins the ranks of scholars and authors who have attempted a reimagining of the work while distinguishing himself for his unique vision of the text. As a novel, the elements traditionally present in a dramatic work - dramatis personae, stage directions, scenes and acts - are absent. Nonetheless, his approach to the story of Jason and Medea pays homage to the classical prototype through the use of narrative and stylistic mechanisms and formulas, such as polyphony, parody and intertextuality. In doing so, For Her Dark Skin reflects the theoretical turn that makes the text a stage while writing becomes performance.