In Greek mythology, the story of Pygmalion has inspired countless films, plays, paintings and other creative works. In Metamorphoses, Roman poet Ovid tells the story of a sculptor named Pygmalion who carves his ideal woman in ivory and falls in love with her. The goddess Venus brings this statue, Galatea, to life. The epitome of womanhood, Galatea lives happily ever after with Pygmalion and their daughter Paphos.
Madeline Miller has written a short story, Galatea (2013), that flips this myth on its head. While Ovid does not explore what happens after Paphos is born, Miller takes advantage of this gap in the tale and explores their story from the perspective of Galatea, ten years after she was created.
Pygmalion created Galatea to represent the ideal woman with cool ivory skin, striking beauty and every line and curve of her body a perfection. His creation was a response to the women of loose morals he saw around him; his misogyny and hatred forcing him to celibacy and disgust.
In creating Galatea, he confined her to her room to keep her pure and submissive. Separated from her daughter, she is attended to by nurses and a doctor, in between visits from Pygmalion where she must be attentive and compliant, re-enacting scenes from their past to please him. Can she ever be free of Pygmalion? Will she ever be reunited with her daughter?
American novelist Madeline Miller has crafted a brilliant short story, which modernises an ancient myth. The edition I have is a beautiful hardback book, gifted to me by my mother (Thank you!). While it can be read in half an hour, the story lingers long after. It is a little gem of a book.
Reviews of Madeline Miller's novels The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe (2018) are available on my blog.