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Abstract Abstract: Louise Bogan, Sylvia Plath, May Sarton and Carol Ann Duff, four female poets in 20th-century British and American literature, have all wrote one poem based on the prototype of Medusa in Greek mythology. By close reading and comparing the four poems, this article points out that the image of Medusa is double-sided, and both sides are the stereotypes shaped by the patriarchal society. In the poems by these female poets, the old image of Medusa has been deconstructed and vivid new ones, which have integrated their rediscovery of the inner self, their brand-new experience with the outer world as well as their profound reflection upon gender identity, have been rebuilt. This process also reflects how female writing has thrown off the yoke of stale conceptions and leaped towards modern transformation.
Key words: Medusa; female writing; modern transformation
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