Reception Project
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University of Alabama *
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Arts Humanities
Date
Jan 9, 2024
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Reception Project
CL 222: Greek & Roman Mythology
Introduction and Purpose.
Richard Buxton defines myth as (a) a narrative that (b) has
or conveys some meaning to a group and (c) is handed down from generation to generation. To
his definition I add (d) the framework and/or details of the narrative are sufficiently malleable
that the story can change in order to offer a new meaning in a new cultural context. It is only
with this specification
, I believe, that Buxton’s point (c) can obtain. Take Sisyphus, who in
Greek myth spends his afterlife trying to push a stone up a hill only to see it roll back down as
soon as it’s nearly at the top. For the Greeks, this story depicts the torment of a life in which one
is condemned always to failure. But for the French Algerian philosopher, Albert Camus: at least
Sisyphus has something to do!
The purpose of the Reception Project (which can earn you a maximum of 5 extra points toward
your final grade) is to examine the modern reception of an ancient myth in a work of modern
media. Ancient Greek mythology continues to capture our modern imagination: there is no end
to the number of movies, novels, comic books, video games, and RPG systems
–
to only name a
few!
–
derived from or inspired by these ancient stories. So the question is: how do these modern
artists alter the narrative framework of the Greek or Roman original so that it conveys a fitting
and appropriate message now for the modern audience, thereby allowing the myth to be handed
down to new generations in new cultural contexts? As a result, this project asks you to delve
deeply into two distinct cultures
—
theirs and yours
—
by means of analyzing the message
conveyed in the original and the new message conveyed in the modern adaptation.
Instructions and Grade Distribution.
Select a modern work of art for critique and
review from the perspective of a student of classical reception.
You must get my approval for
the work you choose, or you will not receive credit.
The purpose is not simply to list the things
that the modern work
“got wrong”
or, even worse, to simply list all the resonances between the
modern work and the classical. The question is, rather: what differences are there between the
two and
why
might the artist have made that change? What was the original message, and
how
have they adapted the story so that it conveys a new message for a new context?
Depending on the modern work and your own approach to it, emphases may slightly differ from
one paper to another. So long as you answer the questions above thoughtfully and thoroughly by
means of the specific questions listed below, that’s perfectly fine, as you will not be able to
address every little detail. But the five specific questions I expect to see answered by your paper,
no matter what you emphasize, are:
(1) What has the modern work kept the same?
(2) What has the modern work changed or added?
(3) What was the message of the original story?
(4) What is the message of the new story?
(5)
How
has the modern artist successfully adapted the story to convey a new
message?
This is not intended to be an outline of your paper. In other words, you need not answer these
questions in this order if your paper flows better another way, as it almost surely will. But again,
these are the five questions that I will expect you to answer somewhere along the way.
Your answers to (1) and (2) will illustrate your command of both the original myth and the
modern work by means of examples. Do not nitpick at insignificant details (e.g. the fact that, for
some reason, in
Troy
the sun rises in the west is not a meaningful alteration). Instead, focus on
the details that are meaningful to the story as a whole. In essence
, this is where you explain how
the story is the same, but different.
Your answers to (3) and (4) will show that you understand the cultural norms, worldviews,
beliefs, etc. of the original and modern audiences. In other words, you will ground the myth in its
cultural reality, both ancient and modern. What is the message that each audience is supposed to
come away with? What do the original and modern versions of the story teach? What
worldviews do they reflect?
Finally, your answer to (5) is meant to explain
how
the modern artist successfully transforms (3)
into (4) by means of (1) and (2). If the narrative structure of a myth is malleable such that the
same story can convey a new message in a new cultural context, how has the artist done so
successfully? In other words, if (1) and (2) ask you to explain how the story is the same, but
different, (5) asks you to explain how those adaptations allow the story to transform its
message
from (3) into (4).
Requirements.
Your reception project must be typed, double-spaced, with standard
margins. I expect a full five pages
of text
—
no less, but no more. (Note: if you quote from the
works, modern or ancient, these quotes do not count toward the page limit. And if you use the
first half of page one to write your name, ID, date, course title, section number, and your paper
title, this
does not
count toward the full five pages.) Your essay is due
on Blackboard
by end of
day (11:59pm) on Friday, 1 December. Late assignments will not be accepted under any
circumstances.
Plagiarism and the Use of External Sources.
You are free to watch movies
together or share ideas about modern works to use, but everything you write
must
be your own.
If you want a UA education,
you
must earn it. And if you wish to uphold and promote the values
of our University, you must take personal ownership of everything you produce. Stealing ideas
from others is plagiarism, whether those ideas are in print somewhere or not; reusing a paper
you’ve written for another class is likewise an unambiguous case of plagiarism
. Having an AI
write your paper (as in Chat GPT and the like) is also plagiarism.
Other than handbooks and primary texts about the myths in question, you need not consult any
secondary sources. I say “need not” because (a) you should know this material already, thus you
should only
need
to read the original myths in detail, and (b) most material that is out there does
not correctly assess the myths themselves anyway.
Suggested Works.
Note (1): for all these works, you will need to do some independent reading. We have touched
upon many myths to one degree or another in class, but I expect you to do additional work on
your own. In other words, you must become an expert in your chosen myth.
Note (2): again, if there is another work you would like to review (there are a near-endless
number out there), please talk to me about it. I am very happy to consider other options, but
want to make sure your chosen modern work (a) fits the assignment, and (b) deals with an
acceptably well-documented myth.
Note (3): part of the reason the works on this list have made it onto this list is because they are
largely direct
adaptations of the story, making the answering of the above 5 questions rather
straightforward. Some allusions to classical myths, such as the subtitle of Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein (“The Modern Prometheus”)
or Ridley Scott’s 2012 film
Prometheus,
do not allow
for such a straightforward response to the above questions, as the relationship between the
modern work and the ancient tale is more conceptual than narrative. I am willing to have a
conversation about using one of these less direct references as the
topic of your paper, but you’ll
need to make a good case for the argument you’re looking to make.
Movies
...about Jason and Medea:
Jason and the Argonauts
(1963) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057197/
Jason and the Argonauts
(2000: a two-episode mini-series)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217579/?ref_=nv_sr_2
...about the Trojan War:
Troy
(2004) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332452/
Helen of Troy
(2003: a two-episode mini-series) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340477/
...about Heracles/Hercules:
Disney’s
Hercules
(1997) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119282/
Hercules
(2014) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1267297/
...very loosely based on the myth of Perseus:
Clash of the Titans
(1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082186/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Clash of the Titans
(2010) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/?ref_=nv_sr_1
...
about/inspired by Homer’s
Odyssey
:
The Odyssey
(1997: a two-episode mini-series) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118414/
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
(2000) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190590/?ref_=nv_sr_1
...that are not directly inspired by a single Greek myth:
Wrath of the Titans
(2012) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646987/?ref_=nv_sr_2
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Books
Margaret Atwood,
Penelopiad
Pat Barker,
The Silence of the Girls
Ursula K. LeGuin,
Lavinia
Madeline Miller,
Circe
Madeline Miller,
Galatea
Dan Simmons,
Ilium
Again, for any Greek myth there will doubtless be a work out there that treats it in some
capacity
. So feel free to look around in case there’s another myth you would rather study.