Showing papers in "Classical World in 2018"

Hesiod, Ouranos, Kronos, and the Emasculation at the Beginning of Time

Abstract: In this article, it is argued that Kronos' emasculation of Ouranos in Hesiod's Theogony is depicted as the genesis of the seasons and years. Hesiod insistently speaks of "afterwards" in the context ...

"Closing Up" on Animal Metamorphosis: Ovid's Micro-Choreographies in the Metamorphoses and the Corporeal Idioms of Pantomime Dancing

Abstract: This article reads Ovid's Metamorphoses through the lens of its contemporary art of pantomime dancing. With a focus restricted to narratives of animalization, it argues that the dancer's exquisite bodily expressiveness has been coopted and recalibrated for the demands of the poetic medium, as Ovid's sequences of animal metamorphosis have amalgamated aesthetic strategies borrowed from the pantomime stage. Far from having been shaped exclusively within the literary mainstream, Ovid's idiosyncratic look, astonishingly perceptive and concentrated on the movements and gestures, as well as the minutest parts of his characters' bodies, was the product of a bold, intermedial crossover between poetry and dance.

Pericles on Democracy: Thucydides 2.37.1

Abstract: Understanding the role of democracy in Thucydides’ history depends to a large extent on 2.37.1 in the Periclean Funeral Oration. Four ostensibly minor stylistic features of the passage show that Thucydides represented Pericles as praising Athenian democracy but carefully embedding his comments in a wider discussion of Athenian mores (ἐπιτηδεύματα) and characteristics (τρόποι). These account for much of Athens’ endurance and resilience during the war, but have the ironic effect of prolonging the war and increasing the loss and suffering it caused. In name (μὲν) it is called a democracy, because we govern not for the few but (δὲ) the many; whereas (μὲν) before the law there is equality for all in private disputes, nevertheless (δὲ) regarding popular esteem the individual receives public preference according to his recognized achievement in some field—not by rotation rather than by excellence—and furthermore (ᾳὖ) should he be poor but able to perform some service for the city, he is not prevented by insufficient public recognition. (Thuc. 2.37.1) These words from the Funeral Oration ascribed to Pericles constitute one of the most discussed passages in Thucydides. Nine lines of Greek, more than 150 years of scholarly discussion, countless articles, exemplary commentaries, sharp debate—yet it is still hard to agree on a translation, let alone a full interpretation. Much of the discussion, however, is built on a shared assumption that the interpretive issues center on whether Thucydides approved or disapproved of Athenian democracy. Did he express a consistent judgment about it? Was it, in his view, an effective system of governance? And so on. Behind such questions is a This essay is based on a talk given in April 2016 at the de Tocqueville Forum at Georgetown University. I am also grateful to Ryan Balot for his suggestions.

In Defense of Milphio: Aggressive Puns and Status Transactions in Plautus' Poenulus

Abstract: The famous "mistranslation" scene of Plautus' Poenulus , in which the clever slave Milphio seems to fail at translating Hanno's Punic remarks, should be interpreted as Milphio's attempt to increase his own onstage status through a series of revisory puns. Rather than indicating Milphio's failure to be clever, Milphio's "mis-translations" are consistent with his pattern of aggressive, revisory punning throughout the comedy. Milphio frequently retrojects ambiguity onto his interlocutors' speeches in an effort to increase his onstage status and sometimes to reject his master's control of both his person and his reality.

Classical Drama at a Distance: Teaching Performance Reception in an Online Environment

Abstract: How do you encourage students to engage effectively with classical Greek and Roman drama and its reception in the modern world in an online distance learning setting? That was the challenge facing the authors of this article while they collaborated on a section of a new Open University Masters’ course devoted to classical reception. The guiding pedagogical principle that underpins our study material is a multi-vocal approach that foregrounds the wealth of different perspectives, theories and methodologies inherent in the study of classical reception. Choosing performance reception as a paradigm for the whole field, we sought to bridge the gap between unseen lecturers and distance learners, creating a dynamic virtual classroom and equipping students with the skills to carry out further research in this thriving field of classical studies.