Presents examples of the mythic stages women heroes go through in modern literature.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I: The hero and her world -- The female hero: a theoretical and methodological introduction -- The mirror and the cage: literary accounts of the myths that discourage heroism in women. Part II: The journey -- Slaying the dragon: an overview of the stages of the journey -- The exit from the garden: the hero's crossing of the threshold, the heroic exit -- The emperor's new clothes: the search for the male "savior" -- A woman is her mother: the reconciliation with the mother. Part III: The return -- The new family: the reward of community and wholeness -- The kingdom transfigured: utopian visions.