GRST 181 - Modern Issues, Ancient Texts

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course asks why contemporary writers and filmmakers draw on ancient Greek literature to address questions that feel, at least to us, both urgent and uniquely current: how do power and perspective play out along lines of gender, identity, and social hierarchy? How do we respond to the many forms of violence that seem endemic to social life? How do we understand ourselves and our actions in light of all this? We begin with a close reading of Homer’s Odyssey alongside Madeline Miller’s novel Circe (2018), aiming to understand the work and world of the Odyssey itself before engaging with the way in which Miller uses that world as a starting point. Why does she draw on this nearly 3,000-year-old epic poem for her own imaginative engagement with the issues just described? What resources do the remnants of ancient Greek culture offer us for thinking about our own experience and society in the 21st century? We apply similar questions in examining Spike Lee’s turn to Aristophanes’ Lysistrata for his treatment of gun violence in Chiraq (2015); additional readings may include selections from the ancient poet Sappho and philosopher Plato, together with modern poets engaging the tradition of Greek mythology: Anne Carson, Louise Glück, and Natasha Trethewey, to name just a few. We will focus primarily on methods for reading and writing about literary texts, but the stunning diversity of genres and contexts in play requires us to consider several disciplinary approaches. In doing so, we endeavor to discern how ancient art forms persist in both their historical influence on our time and their lively reimaginations within it. Luke Parker.

Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS