What is intersex gender identity, and is
there such a thing as a "typical" hermaphrodite? I looked at
literary sources that deal with the same or a similar
subject (Virginia Woolf's Orlando, Julia Ward Howe's The
Hermaphrodite and Honorè de Balzac's Sarrassine), and
compared them to Middlesex. Furthermore, comparing the text
with medical and sociological research revealed that there
are many parallels between actual cases and the ficional
character Eugenides brought to life. Finally, I looked at
the text itself. The questions asked here are: Is Middlesex
an ancient epic in modern form? Cal, as the narrator of the
story, is certainly believable and trustworthy, but we have
to be on our toes because he will occasionally make up a
detail here and there to make his story more interesting -
in true fashion of an ancient storyteller in an oral
culture. Is there such a thing as a "typical"
hermaphrodite? Can a text combine ancient narrative
traditions and modern history? I think so. And we will
certainly have to realize that sex and gender do not
necessarily have to stay in the binary corners of
male/female, but that there is much in between, too.