Currently reading: Medea by Rosie Hewlett.
Other example of recent Classical Reception:
Stone Blind, Medusa’s Story by Natalie Haynes
The Women of Troy by Pat Baker
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (be prepared to cry if you read this!)
I was also partially inspired to write this by Helen Morales. Her ‘Antigone Rising: the Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths’ was a poignant, nuanced discussion of the power of the ancient myths, and how the stories have been weaponized against women in the past.
I chose to study Ancient Greek and Latin at University.
They were not required modules on my course. However, I loved Latin in school and had a natural facility for picking up languages. I was lucky because my school encouraged studying languages, including ancient languages. I was fascinated, and still am, by etymology and the development of languages, and communication in societies.
I also find regional dialects and accents particularly interesting, being someone who grew up in London with one Chinese parent who lived in Letchworth Garden City and one scouse parent. My accent was influenced by all the time went spent in Newcastle, visiting my grandparents, and by Billy Elliot the movie and the musical (based in County Durham, not Newcastle). I desperately wanted a Geordie accent, I thought it was much more musical than RP. I also, was insecure about being middle class and didn’t want to be called posh. Now, I am grateful for the privilege and stability I was afforded growing up. That doesn’t negate the oppression I’ve faced, due to my race, gender and sexuality, but I believe that you should acknowledge any privilege you have and use it to make others lives better. My final influence was moving to Birmingham when I was 18. I also adore the brummy accent, even better if it’s a Black country accent, they are such interesting sounding accents, and working with kids in my job, meant I had to slightly mimic their way of speaking in order for them to understand me better! I now speak in a strange mix. I think that’s quite cool.
https://classicsforall.org.uk/
So, it should be no surprise, I opted in for the Ancient Greek module and spent the summer before university teaching myself the alphabet and other basics. Funnily enough, I also did quite well at Ancient Greek.
I was really exited to be able to study my favorite texts in the original language and make my own translation choices and interpretation of texts.
The translator as the middle means that we lose a lot of the feel of the original text. Also, with Homer Epics being composed in dactylic hexameter and in verse, often English translations utilize prose instead which very quickly loses a key characteristic of epic. Originally, bards (or poets) would perform epics, to rhythm and music. They memorized everything and the stories were passed on through word of mouth. At some point the were written down and formulated into the stories we know them as today, we do not know who did this.
Translation is reflective of the translator’s attitudes because their personal feelings, beliefs, and cultural background influence every stage of the translation process. This includes word choice and the overall interpretation and adaptation of the source text.
Since no translation can be entirely neutral, the translator’s attitudes, whether positive or negative, towards the author, the source text, or the target audience inevitably shape the final translated text, impacting its tone, style, and even the way the message is conveyed.
Influence on Interpretive Decisions
- Word Choice and Tone: A translator’s positive attitude towards a text or author can foster more creative and flexible interpretations, while negative feelings might lead to drastic changes or simplification of the text.
- Attitude Towards the Source: A translator’s feelings about the source text’s author or subject matter can significantly affect their interpretive decisions and how they adapt the text for the target audience.
- Desire for Neutrality: While translators aim for a degree of detachment, a truly neutral translation is an illusion, and the translator’s underlying stance often reveals itself in the text.
Psychological and Emotional Factors
- Emotional Intelligence: A translator’s emotional intelligence influences their processing of information and their ability to produce a high-quality, creative translation.
- Personal Stance: Translators’ personal stances, ethics, and cultural viewpoints are deeply embedded in their self-investigation and decision-making, particularly when engaging in reflexive translation.
- Subjectivity: Every translator is a unique human being with their own psychological and emotional makeup, which means they bring their individual perspective to the translation process, making it a subjective act.
The Translator as a Human Agent
- Beyond Software: Unlike software that translates mechanically, human translators are active participants who bring their cognitive and emotional faculties to the task, leading to inherent reflections of their humanity in the translated work.
- Visibility of the Translator: Theories like Reflexive Translation Studies emphasize the importance of making the translator’s presence visible, acknowledging their creative rights and the transformative role they play in the translation process.
- Ethical Response: By reflecting on their own biases and attitudes, translators can generate a more ethical and conscious response to the source text, moving beyond a simplistic linguistic transfer.
Emily Wilson is widely recognized as the first woman to publish a complete English translation of Homer’s Odyssey. However, she acknowledges that other women had translated the work into non-English languages or had created partial or prose versions into English before her. In doing this, she highlighted that the focus on her gender was sometimes overstated.
Key Details:
- First in English: Wilson’s 2017 translation was the first full English version of the Odyssey by a woman, which garnered significant media attention.
- Historical Context: While she was the first to publish a complete English translation, other women had translated Homer into other languages, and earlier English versions existed as children’s prose retellings.
- Wilson’s Perspective: Wilson herself has noted that the media’s emphasis on her gender was sometimes oversimplified and presented her as “unique in a way [she is] not unique”. She pointed to other female scholars and translators as evidence that her work was not entirely unprecedented.
- Impact of her Translation: Wilson’s work is praised for its accessibility and for bringing renewed attention to the Odyssey and the field of classics to broader audiences.
Greek Mythology’s Influence on Western Literature
Greek mythology has profoundly shaped all of Western literature, with scholars noting that just two epic poems influenced all of Western civilization, affecting not only literature but the entire mindset of society WordPressEncyclopedia Britannica. Through Latin and the works of Ovid, Greek myth influenced medieval and Renaissance poets such as Petrarch, Boccaccio and Dante in Italy, with its effect being particularly obvious on literature in Northern Europe Greek mythology – Wikipedia.
Greek mythology is considered the foundation of literary growth and contains the fundamental elements of literature, being philosophically strong and aesthetically rich while combining the lives of gods with human emotions The Cultural and Historical Influence of Greek Mythology. Modern authors continue to reinterpret ancient myths to address contemporary themes. For instance, the myth of Medea has been reimagined in various contexts to explore themes of feminism and power dynamics “THE INFLUENCE OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY ON MODERN LITERATURE”: DE MODE OF LITERATURE.
Women Poets and Greek Mythology
While my search didn’t return specific information about contemporary poetry anthologies by women focused on Greek mythology, the research shows that modern authors frequently reinterpret ancient myths to address topics such as gender roles, power dynamics, and societal values “THE INFLUENCE OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY ON MODERN LITERATURE”: DE MODE OF LITERATURE. This suggests there’s significant contemporary interest in revisiting these ancient stories through feminist and female perspectives.
Homer, Oral Tradition, and Musical Performance
The question of Homer’s identity remains one of literature’s great mysteries. Starting around 1928, scholars Milman Parry and Albert Lord developed the “Oral-Formulaic Theory” after studying folk bards in the Balkans, demonstrating that the Homeric poems were originally composed through improvised oral performances that relied on traditional epithets and poetic formulas WikipediaWikipedia.
The style of the poems is “formulaic,” relying heavily on stock epithets and repeated verses, which differs from literate imitators like Virgil and supports the theory that Homer was an oral singer Homer – Epic Poetry, Oral Tradition, Verse | Britannica. According to this theory, the Iliad and Odyssey may have been products of oral-formulaic composition, composed on the spot by the poet using memorized traditional verses and phrases Homeric Question – Wikipedia.
Regarding the theory that Homer was a woman, while this wasn’t specifically detailed in the search results, this theory has been proposed by various scholars over time, often pointing to the detailed knowledge of domestic life and women’s experiences found in the epics, though it remains a minority position in classical scholarship.
Linear A and B: The Development of Greek Writing
Linear B is a syllabic script used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek language, predating the Greek alphabet by several centuries with the earliest examples dating to around 1450 BC Linear B – Wikipedia. Linear B is an adapted form of Linear A, borrowed from the Minoans by the Mycenaean Greeks around 1600 BC Linear A and Linear B | Mycenaean, Minoan & Decipherment | Britannica.
Linear A remains undeciphered despite sharing many glyphs with Linear B, and while scholars have proposed various readings, none lead to a recognizable language Linear A – Wikipedia. Linear B disappeared with the fall of Mycenaean civilization during the Late Bronze Age collapse Linear B – Wikipedia, and as the palaces fell, Linear B writing disappeared, marking the beginning of the Greek Dark Ages, with writing not re-emerging in Greece until the development of the Greek alphabet centuries later The Knossos Linear B Tablets – Windows into Mycenaean Administration – Knossos Palace.
The Dark Ages and Ancient Societies
The Greek Dark Ages began with the fall of the Mycenaean palaces, possibly due to internal revolts, economic decline, and natural disasters like earthquakes, droughts, or fires The Knossos Linear B Tablets – Windows into Mycenaean Administration – Knossos Palace. This period lasted several centuries until the emergence of the Greek alphabet.
Unfortunately, my search didn’t return specific recent scholarship on Mycenaean matriarchy theories or detailed information about the Amazons. These topics would benefit from additional focused research, particularly regarding current archaeological evidence and feminist interpretations of ancient Mediterranean societies.
The interconnection of these topics reveals how oral traditions, writing systems, and mythological narratives evolved together to create the foundation of Western literary culture, with ongoing scholarly debates about authorship, gender roles, and the transmission of ancient knowledge continuing to this day.Retry
Greek Mythology’s Influence on Western Literature
Greek mythology has profoundly shaped all of Western literature, with scholars noting that just two epic poems influenced all of Western civilization, affecting not only literature but the entire mindset of society WordPress Encyclopedia Britannica.
Through Latin and the works of Ovid, Greek myth influenced medieval and Renaissance poets such as Petrarch, Boccaccio and Dante in Italy, with its effect being particularly obvious on literature in Northern Europe
Greek mythology is considered the foundation of literary growth and contains the fundamental elements of literature, being philosophically strong and aesthetically rich while combining the lives of gods with human emotions.
The Cultural and Historical Influence of Greek Mythology.
Modern authors continue to reinterpret ancient myths to address contemporary themes. For instance, the myth of Medea has been reimagined in various contexts to explore themes of feminism and power dynamics
“THE INFLUENCE OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY ON MODERN LITERATURE”: DE MODE OF LITERATURE.
Women Poets and Greek Mythology
My research, and simply a look in any book shop today, shows that modern authors frequently reinterpret ancient myths to address topics such as gender roles, power dynamics, and societal values
“THE INFLUENCE OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY ON MODERN LITERATURE”: DE MODE OF LITERATURE.
This suggests there’s significant contemporary interest in revisiting these ancient stories through feminist and female perspectives.
Homer, Oral Tradition, and Musical Performance
The question of Homer’s identity remains one of literature’s great mysteries. Starting around 1928, scholars Millman Parry and Albert Lord developed the “Oral-Formulaic Theory” after studying folk bards in the Balkans, demonstrating that the Homeric poems were originally composed through improvised oral performances that relied on traditional epithets and poetic formulas
The style of the poems is “formulaic,” relying heavily on stock epithets and repeated verses, which differs from literate imitators like Virgil and supports the theory that Homer was an oral singer
Homer – Epic Poetry, Oral Tradition, Verse | Britannica.
According to this theory, the Iliad and Odyssey may have been products of oral-formulaic composition, composed on the spot by the poet using memorized traditional verses and phrases
There is also a theory that Homer was a woman. This theory has been proposed by various scholars over time, often pointing to the detailed knowledge of domestic life and women’s experiences found in the epics, though it remains a minority position in classical scholarship.
Linear A and B: The Development of Greek Writing
Linear B is a syllabic script used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek language, predating the Greek alphabet by several centuries with the earliest examples dating to around 1450 BC.
Linear B is an adapted form of Linear A, borrowed from the Minoans by the Mycenaean Greeks around 1600 BC
Linear A and Linear B | Mycenaean, Minoan & Decipherment | Britannica.
Linear A remains undeciphered despite sharing many glyphs with Linear B, and while scholars have proposed various readings, none lead to a recognizable language
Linear B disappeared with the fall of Mycenaean civilization during the Late Bronze Age collapse Linear B – Wikipedia, and as the palaces fell, Linear B writing disappeared, marking the beginning of the Greek Dark Ages, with writing not re-emerging in Greece until the development of the Greek alphabet centuries later
The Knossos Linear B Tablets – Windows into Mycenaean Administration – Knossos Palace.
The Dark Ages and Ancient Societies
The Greek Dark Ages began with the fall of the Mycenaean palaces, possibly due to internal revolts, economic decline, and natural disasters like earthquakes, droughts, or fires The Knossos Linear B Tablets – Windows into Mycenaean Administration – Knossos Palace.
This period lasted several centuries until the emergence of the Greek alphabet.
The interconnection of these topics reveals how oral traditions, writing systems, and mythological narratives evolved together to create the foundation of Western literary culture, with ongoing scholarly debates about authorship, gender roles, and the transmission of ancient knowledge continuing to this day.
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