This volume explores film and television sources in problematic conversation with classical antiquity, to better understand the nature of artistic reception and classical reception in particular. Drawing inspiration from well-theorized fields like adaptation studies, comparative literature, and film, the essays in this collection raise questions fundamental to the future of reception studies. The first section, ‘Beyond Fidelity’, deals with idiosyncratic adaptations of ancient sources; the second section, ‘Beyond Influence’, discusses modern works purporting to adapt ancient figures or themes that are less straightforwardly ancient than they may at first appear; while the last section, ‘Beyond Original’, uses films that lack even these murky connections to antiquity to challenge the notion that studying reception requires establishing historical connections between works. As questions of audience, interpretation, and subjectivity are central to most contemporary fields of study, this is a collection that is of interest to a wide variety of readers in the humanities.
This volume explores film and television sources in problematic conversation with classical antiquity, to better understand the nature of artistic reception and classical reception in particular. Drawing inspiration from well-theorized fields like adaptation studies, comparative literature, and film, the essays in this collection raise questions fundamental to the future of reception studies. The first section, ‘Beyond Fidelity’, deals with idiosyncratic adaptations of ancient sources; the second section, ‘Beyond Influence’, discusses modern works purporting to adapt ancient figures or themes that are less straightforwardly ancient than they may at first appear; while the last section, ‘Beyond Original’, uses films that lack even these murky connections to antiquity to challenge the notion that studying reception requires establishing historical connections between works. As questions of audience, interpretation, and subjectivity are central to most contemporary fields of study, this is a collection that is of interest to a wide variety of readers in the humanities.
Offers a new and innovative understanding of the routes by which ancient material percolates into popular consciousness Challenges traditional models of reception and problematizes the very concept of intertextuality Ranges across the fields of adaptation studies, media studies, and comparative literature
Ricardo Apostol
Ancient Rome Ancient Greece Myth Metaphor History Homer
“This book proposes a radically new way to excavate the layers of modern film and television for their underlying connections with the themes and tropes of classical antiquity. Expertly mingling interpretative techniques borrowed from Film Studies, Comparative Literature, and Adaptation Studies, the six dynamic essays in this volume skillfully investigate a range of screen texts – from The Hurt Locker to Game of Thrones – to uncover multiple strata of the deep engagements between contemporary media and the ancient world.” (Monica S. Cyrino, Professor of Classics, University of New Mexico, USA)
“Locating Classical Receptions on Screen invites the reader to embark on an intrepid journey that transcends the traditional boundaries of Classical Reception Studies. This provocative volume challenges the linear and binary engagements with the ancient past that often guide scholarly approaches to modern media. Refreshing methodologies and cross-disciplinary viewscontribute to building a stimulating collection that proposes a more dynamic and multisided look at cinema and television, and at the viewer’s ‘face to face encounters’ with Classical myths, stories, characters and ideas.” (Marta Garcia Morcillo, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, University of Roehampton, UK)
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