Core Course Receptions: Transformations of Classical and Near Eastern Literature and Culture

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/L_AAMPOHS013

Course Objective

Central research question: How ancient stories were adapted in later periods for performance on stage (theatre, film, storytelling events, music). – Students acquire knowledge of stories from the ancient world as they are adapted to stage-performances in later periods. They will do so through the study of a selection of stories in their original context, their later adaptations as theatre plays, films, storytelling events or music, and also the contemporary engagement involved in each of these cases. The selection of texts will be taken from the Near East as well as Greece and Rome, containing e.g. Biblical stories, Greek and Roman tragedies, or epics like the Gilgamesh, Iliad and Aeneid. The students will also conduct research of their own in this field. – The approach will be interdisciplinary: we will study and explore two types of source material: (1) literary texts from various genres in their archaeological and historical context; (2) staged performances (from the Renaissance to the present day). – All constituents of this course aim at enabling and stimulating the students to do research of their own on receptions of ancient stories on stage in a creative, inventive and critical manner. They will write an essay on a chosen topic for a broader audience, enriched by a set of research for an academic audience.

Course Content

Ancient stories on stage Stories form the ancient world were and still are successfully performed in many theatre buildings or other theatrical settings all over the world. For instance, a breathtaking version of Sophocles’ Oedipus, in which the Greek hero is transformed into a modern politician during election times, is played by the Dutch company International Theatre Amsterdam since 2017 in theatres in the Netherlands and abroad. This modern version of a classical masterpiece shows how relevant ancient stories can be for our time. Studying the adaption of ancient stories to stage performance involves many different aspects. In the case of the above-mentioned Oedipus, for example, what audience did the company have in mind for a production? To which degree did it want to adapt the play to a contemporary audience? Choices concerning translation, interpretation, location, scenery, costumes, props and music also have important consequences for the performance. And how did director, dramaturge, set designers, composer and cast cooperate? During this interdisciplinary course we will study stage performances of a number of ancient stories in different periods, cultures and languages. These receptions will be confronted and compared with the transmitted evidence of the ancient world by which they are inspired, i.e. relevant ancient texts as well as material sources. The question of the relevance of these ancient stories for the audience of the later adaptation remains central throughout. The program includes: – Theatre plays and other performances inspired on ancient texts, as well as the ancient texts on which they are based (in the original language and/or in translation); – Secondary literature on (the history of) performances and stagecraft; – Material sources related to ancient and modern stories and their performances, such as costumes, posters, programs, scripts, video
- and audiotapes (e.g. in the Theatre Collection of the Allard Pierson);
- Online-databases, e.g. Archive of Performance of Greek and Roman Drama;
- Encounters with people from the theatre world.

Teaching Methods

Seminars, discussion groups, and workshops. Sessions will be a combination of (guest) lectures, working sessions, visits and encounters. Also, we plan to go on a guided tour through the theatre collection of Allard Pierson (the collection of the former Dutch Theatre Institute), visit a live performance and use the expertise of present-day theatre makers.

Method of Assessment

– Active participation in classes; – A pitch on a chosen topic during one of the sessions; – Writing of an essay with academic research notes. The resit regulations will be specified in the study manual.

Literature

– Lorna Hardwick, Reception Studies. Greece & Rome: New Surveys in the Classics, No. 33 (Oxford University Press 2003); – Further reading materials will be announced and/or provided through Canvas.

Target Audience

The course is also open for PhD students enrolled in OIKOS, the Netherlands research school of Classics.

Additional Information

– For this course attendance of the classes is obligatory. If a student misses more than 20% of the classes s/he will not be admitted to the exam. – When the text in the study guide is different from that of the course manual, the course manual is valid.

Entry Requirements

Only students admitted to the Research MA Classics and Ancient Civilizations can take this course.