Classical Receptions in Drama and Poetry in English
from c.1970 to the Present  

Project Publications
(including Archived Conference papers)

A Democratic Turn

2009 Democratic Turn Eseminar

1998-2008 Archived topics

January Conference 1996

THE RECEPTION OF CLASSICAL TEXTS AND IMAGES

Introduction

The January conferences organised by the Department of Classical Studies at The Open University, UK explore the interface between two or more related aspects of research and teaching in Classical Studies. In 1996 the aspect of Janus offered a particular resonance for a conference focused on the reception of Greek and Roman Texts and Images both within antiquity and subsequently.

Participants prepared a wide range of papers which were grouped into informal panels: Myths and gods, Artistic Images, Philosophy, Approaches to Texts, Variations on the Roman Tradition, From Medieval to Modern and twentieth Century Reception. A particular challenge for those presenting papers to these panels is to clarify readings and methodologies in order to enable dialogue with others, whose starting point in the Reception debate is from a different genre or historical context.

In addition to the papers published here, the conference benefited from the participation of a number of scholars who presented work in progress. A selection of titles gives some idea of the variety of work now being developed :

• "James Joyce and the Greeks" (Mikka Bott)
• "The reception of Tacitus' Historical writings" (Marianne Dircksen)
• "Composition as Reception : an English version of Classics" (Christopher A. Stray)
• "Reception of Catullus 36" (Jan Swanepoel)
• "Quotations in Plato's Symposium" (Naoko Yamagata)
• "From Plato to Plotinus" (Barrie Fleet)
• "Scholarship or Imagination: Humboldt, Wolf and the Transformation of Hellenism" (Dirk t. D. Held)
• "The Reception of the Artistic tradition of the commemorative column in the time of Marcus Aurelius" (Katrina McLeay).

By publishing electronically we hope to widen further the constituency of interest in the ways in which Greek and Roman texts have been transmitted, interpreted, valued, challenged, translated and transplanted.

The next stage of the Reception project will aim to develop a series of electronic seminars on selected themes. Those who would like to participate should send their academic Email address and an outline of proposed seminar topic (max 100 words) to: C.A.Gillespie.

Lorna Hardwick
(The Open University, UK)

Stanley Ireland
(University of Warwick, UK)

February 1996

Hard copy versions of the selected proceedings are also available. For order form contact:

Mrs. Carol Gillespie

(Email: C.A.Gillespie@open.ac.uk)