Da antiguidade à atualidade: a influência da mitologia grega em O ladrão de raios, de Rick Riordan

Abstract

In this master's thesis, Greek mythology was analyzed based on its influence on Rick Riordan's work The Lightning Thief (2023), observing the main references and dialogues between classical texts and the book chosen for this research. With the theoretical support of intertextuality theory, our main objective is to analyze how Greek mythology, a source of inspiration for various works, research, and authors in diverse contexts, has been portrayed in children's and young adult literature, and also to investigate the main mechanisms used by the author to adapt it in his book. To achieve this, the methodology adopted involves a comparative analysis between the characters present in Greek myths and their counterparts in The Lightning Thief. We also used Joseph Campbell's concept of the hero's journey as a basis to observe how Rick Riordan structured his narrative and created a modern young hero from references to classical texts. In addition to works of Greek literature, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, attributed to Homer and dating from the 8th century BC, and Hesiod's Theogony, composed around the 7th century BC, this work is anchored in the studies of Nelly Novaes Coelho (2000) and Teresa Colomer (2017) on children's and young adult literature, as well as in the contributions of Julia Kristeva (1974) and Gérard Genette (2010) on the theory of intertextuality. In the first chapter of this research, we discuss the path taken by Greek mythology from its presence in oral culture to the literary text that is the object of study of this dissertation. Next, we analyze the main characteristics and elements that compose children's and young adult literature. Finally, in the last chapter, we observe how Greek myths exert their influence on The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, presenting the new conceptions acquired through this book. Thus, we can conclude, through intertextuality, that Greek mythology influences children's and young adult literature, enriching the narrative and symbolic structure present in the work. In another aspect, we can also observe how children's and young adult literature revises and expands classical texts from a new perspective. Therefore, what we have is a constant dialogue between the areas presented, in which both mutually influence each other.