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From Mythology to Pop Culture: Myth, Representation, and the Historiography of the Amazon Warrior Woman in Ancient Art and Modern Media

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From Mythology to Pop Culture: Myth, Representation, and the Historiography of the Amazon Warrior Woman in Ancient Art and Modern Media University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School April 2021 From Mythology to Pop Culture: Myth, Representation, and the Historiography of the Amazon Warrior Woman in Ancient Art and Modern Media James William Poorman University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Scholar Commons Citation Poorman, James William, "From Mythology to Pop Culture: Myth, Representation, and the Historiography of the Amazon Warrior Woman in Ancient Art and Modern Media" (2021). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/8846 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. From Mythology to Pop Culture: Myth, Representation, and the Historiography of the Amazon Warrior Woman in Ancient Art and Modern Media by James William Poorman A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Liberal Arts Department of Humanities College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Sheramy Bundrick, Ph.D. Larissa Kopytoff, Ph.D. Jill McCracken, Ph.D. Date of Approval: April 7, 2021 Keywords: Mythology, Wonder Woman, Greece, Athens, American Society Copyright © 2021, James William Poorman ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following people for the many months of tips, help, revisions, suggestions, communications, etc. Without your dedication and timely responses this thesis would not have been possible during this turbulent year under a world-wide pandemic. First and foremost, the utmost gratitude goes out to my thesis director, Dr. Sheramy Bundrick ( Professor of Art History: School of Art & Art History/ College of The Arts USF). Without Dr. Bundrick’s consistent help and reassurance my ideas would have never become a refined thesis. Secondly, I would like to that the members of my thesis committee: Dr. Larissa Kopytoff (Instructor, Department of History USF) and Dr. Jill McCracken (Professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies: Director of Master of Liberal Arts USF). The supplemental input and information allowed for my thesis to look at ideas and theories from different perspectives. Without their contribution this thesis may have become narrow in thought. I would also like to thank those who helped out with the technical aspects of my master thesis. First, I would like to thank a colleague of mine, Codey Oswald USF, for peer editing each chapter of my thesis prior to submission to Dr. Bundrick. Mr. Oswald’s editing saved me numerous hours of work. Secondly, I would like to thank LeEtta Schmidt (Copyright and Intellectual Librarian USF Libraries) for adding the legality portion of this thesis. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Donna Knudsen (Campus Assistant Dean Office of Graduate Studies USF St. Petersburg Campus) and Lisa Akins (Office Manager, Graduate Studies St. Petersburg Campus USF) for keeping my schedule on track and providing extended time for the completion of this thesis. Lastly, I would like to thank friends and family (Cheryl L Williams-Mother) TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................v Introduction: Wonder Woman Illustrated ........................................................................................1 Chapter One: The Myth of the Amazon: A Historical Background of Ancient Athenian Amazons ..................................................................................................................................17 Historical Background: Amazons in Athenian History .....................................................19 Pre-Persian War: Opuses, Tomes, and Vase Paintings ......................................................21 Achilles ..................................................................................................................24 Herakles .................................................................................................................25 Persian War/Periklean Period: Civics, Propaganda, and Creativity ..................................27 Classical Writers ....................................................................................................29 Theseus and Antiope ..............................................................................................34 Amazons in Civic and Religious Monuments and Sculptures ...........................................36 Athenian Treasury at Delphi, ca. 485 BC ..............................................................37 Stoa Poikile by Mikon and Polygnotos, c. 470-460 BC ........................................38 The Parthenon (447-438 BC) .................................................................................39 Chapter Two: A New Amazon: Invention of Wonder Woman in the 20th/21st Century ...............47 Marston’s Golden Age Wonder Woman 1942-1947 .........................................................51 Background ............................................................................................................51 The Original Wonder Woman Origin Story ..........................................................52 Kanigher’s Silver Age Wonder Woman 1947-1968 ..........................................................54 Background ............................................................................................................54 Fredric Wertham and the Comics Code Authority ................................................56 Kanigher’s Wonder Woman Origin History ..........................................................58 The Bronze Age of Wonder Woman: 1968-1984 ..............................................................61 Modern Wonder Woman: 1985 – Present Day ..................................................................64 George Perez’s Wonder Woman Origin Mythology .............................................65 Wonder Woman of the 21st Century ..................................................................................66 Wonder Woman 2017 ............................................................................................68 Chapter Three: The Aesthetic Evolution of Amazons in Ancient Athenian Mythology and DC’s Wonder Woman in Modern Times: Appearance, Costume, Weapons and Tactics ......................................................................................................................................73 Ancient Athenian Amazons ...............................................................................................74 Wonder Woman: Dressed to Impress ................................................................................81 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................87 i Chapter Four: Gender Roles: The Masculine/Feminine Conundrum ............................................92 Masculinity/Femininity in Ancient Athens ........................................................................93 Pre-Persian War Masculinity/Femininity ..............................................................94 Post-Persian War Masculinity/Femininity .............................................................97 Wonder Woman: Champion of the Feminist Movement? ...............................................100 Marston’s Wonder Woman ..................................................................................100 Kanigher’s Wonder Woman ................................................................................102 The Modern Wonder Woman ..............................................................................105 Chapter Five/Conclusion: Mythology reflects Society: A Conclusion of the Social and Cultural Contexts of Amazons and Wonder Woman.............................................................111 Athenian Society in the 5th Century BC ...........................................................................112 Athenian Society Pre-Persian Wars .....................................................................113 Athenian Society During the Persian Wars .........................................................116 Athenian Society After the Persian Wars ............................................................118 American Society in the 20th and 21st Century ................................................................120 American Society during Marston’s Wonder Woman.........................................121 Cold War Era and Kanigher’s Revised Wonder Woman ....................................123 American Society Today and the Re-Invention of Wonder Woman ...................125 References….. ..............................................................................................................................129 Appendices ...................................................................................................................................133 Appendix 1: Wikimedia Commons Permissions .............................................................134 Appendix 2: The British
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