Abstract Book of the 7th Global Conference on Women’s Studies
Year: 2025
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Reimagining Beowulf: Feminist Perspectives on Maternal Matrices and Mimetic Inhabitation
Dr. Peggy Ann Bloomer
ABSTRACT:
This study examines Maria Dahvana Headley’s 2020 feminist translation of Beowulf, employing the philosophical frameworks of Luce Irigaray’s mimesis and Bracha Ettinger’s matrixial theory to explore redefined female subjectivity in the Anglo-Saxon epic. Headley reconstructs Beowulf’s female characters with newfound complexity and agency by subverting traditional patriarchal discourse. Grendel’s mother is reframed as a warrior grieving maternal loss, while Wealhtheow, Hygd, and Modthryth emerge as figures of negotiation, political strategy, and transformation. Reimagined as female, even the dragon symbolizes violated sovereignty and maternal rage. The mere becomes a liminal, womb-like space of interconnectedness and shared trauma, as explored through Ettinger’s matrixial theory. Irigaray’s mimetic strategies, such as the colloquial translation of “hwæt” as “Bro,” underscore the constructed nature of the patriarchal narrative, critiquing Beowulf’s embodiment of toxic masculinity. This feminist reinterpretation blurs boundaries between human and monstrous, maternal and violent, enriching Beowulf’s literary significance by exposing silenced female voices, challenging patriarchal values, and revealing the limitations of traditional heroic paradigms.
Keywords: Feminist translation, Female subjectivity, Patriarchal critique, Matrixial theory. Toxic masculinity