Circe, the female hero. First-person narrative and power in Madeline Miller's Circe.

This article critically examines Madeline Miller’s novel *Circe* within the contemporary trend of women’s mythological rewritings that retell Graeco-Roman myths from marginalized female perspectives. While *Circe* is widely marketed and interpreted as a feminist and empowering first-person Bildungsroman, the analysis reveals that its narrative structure ultimately reaffirms traditional, masculine ideological frameworks by confining female empowerment to isolation and the private sphere, culminating in the protagonist’s renunciation of power for domestic life. The article situates *Circe* as part of a mainstream classical reception that leverages feminist critiques to broaden audience appeal but leaves underlying patriarchal power imbalances unchallenged, thus reflecting broader socio-political dynamics in the publishing industry and cultural discourse. It argues for a feminist reading that recognizes these tensions and questions the ideological implications of such popular mythological retellings.