Classics and the Cinema (245-0-1)

Topic

Ancient Greeks and Romans on the Big Screen

Instructors

Germán Campos-Muñoz

Meeting Info

Fisk Hall 114: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

This course examines the phenomenon of adaptations of Greco-Roman narratives to the languages and conditions of modern cinematography. The class begins with an overview of the framework and methods of Reception Studies, and a short account of some technical tools and terminology necessary to appropriately examine the audiovisual aspects of film. Equipped with these analytical instruments, we will discuss selected ancient narratives, both mythological and historical, and then interrogate the mechanisms through which those stories have been adapted to the technological apparatuses, sociocultural expectations, and economic dynamics constitutive of the practice of modern filmmaking. Through an eclectic selection of film adaptations from different periods and parts of the world, we will interrogate the ways world cinema negotiates between the "old" and the "new," both by deploying visual and narrative techniques to depict ancient motifs, and by using those tales to convey modern historical preoccupations, political ideals, and cultural expectations.

Class Materials (Required)

Aristophanes. Lysistrata. Trans. Sarah Ruden. Hackett, 2003. ISBN: 9780872206038.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area