Power Dreamers: The Jocasta Complex

Molinaro's revisionist novel retells the story of Oedipus from the perspective of his mother. Events are mostly narrated by Jocasta, and the twist is that she's perfectly aware that the man she's about to marry is her son. Molinaro, also a poet, playwright and painter, exhibits detailed knowledge of both myth and history, but Jocasta's close focus on her era's sexual and political inequities doesn't yield the tragic power and momentum of Sophocles. Molinaro's lyrical poetic style and elliptical prose ill suit the extended narrative; the tale is made additionally disjointed in the second half when secondary characters, often without clear attribution, take up the story. Molinaro's revision is largely unsatisfying as fiction, although it may capture readers interested in feminist viewpoints. (Nov.)