Pop Classics
This module explores the reception of ancient Greek and Latin texts in popular culture from the Second World War to the present. Drawing on the methodologies of classical reception as well the perspectives of the political Left, we’ll examine the work of a range of writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers in Irish, European, and international contexts. Against the long modern history of extremist receptions of the Classics, our central concern will be to investigate the democratic possibilities inherent in the classical tradition and the ways in which it might prove relevant to modern times. All texts will be taught in English translation.
- Module Organiser:
- Dr Charlie Kerrigan
- Duration:
- Semester 2
- Contact Hours:
- 22 hrs (11 2-hr seminars) in translation
- Weighting:
- 10 ECTS
- Assessment:
- 100% Continuous Assessment
Learning Outcomes
On successful conclusion of this module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate thorough knowledge of and familiarity with the tenets of classical reception studies.
- Critique a diverse body modern receptions of ancient Greek and Latin texts produced in a range of media.
- Evaluate the politics and ethics of the classical tradition as it relates to contemporary 21st-century societies.
- Relate different conceptions of culture to each other (‘high’, ‘low’, canonical, popular) and to study of the ancient world.
Introductory Reading
- James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son (Penguin Classics reissue, 2017).
- Lorna Hardwick and Christopher Stray (eds), A Companion to Classical Receptions (Oxford: Blackwell, 2007).
- Adrienne Rich, Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations (New York: Norton and co., 2001).