Classical Myth and Film in the New Millennium

by Salzman-Mitchell, Patricia; Alvares, Jean

• ISBN13: 9780190204167
• ISBN10: 0190204168
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2017-01-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Offering unique and in-depth discussions of films that have been released since 2000, Classical Myth and Film in the New Millennium uses various modern approaches--ranging from myth criticism to psychology and gender studies--to analyze popular movies that make use of themes and stories from Greek and Roman mythology, including Troy, The Hunger Games, Pan's Labyrinth, and Clash of the Titans.

FEATURES

* Provides a critical analysis of thirteen movies, exploring the themes, characters, and plots that arise from Greek and Roman mythology and also from other Western and contemporary traditions

* Covers films that today's students may already be familiar with and enjoy, resulting in a relevant and interesting text

* Addresses themes central to the new millennium: the environment, the perils of materialism and excessive consumerism, gender oppression and equality, broken families, and the constant threat of violence

* Organizes films into five thematic parts--Homeric Echoes, The Reluctant Hero, Women in the Margins, Coming of Age in the New Millennium, and New Versions of Pygmalion--that provide an interpretive framework for examining archetypes

* A substantial general Introduction provides a foundation for studying myth and film, and each part includes an introduction and discussion questions

Author Biography

Patricia Salzman-Mitchell is Professor of Classics and General Humanities at Montclair State University.

Jean Alvares is Associate Professor of Classics and General Humanities at Montclair State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Classical Myth and Film in the New Millennium
Why We Are Here and What We Are Doing
Re-presenting the Past
Classics and Film
Myth Theories, Structures of Meaning, and Archetypes
Some Overarching Narrative and Symbolic Structures
References
PART I: HOMERIC ECHOES
Introduction: "Sing, Oh Muse!" Homeric Echoes, Modern Issues in Millennial Films
Chapter 1. Petersen's Troy: Reimagining Homeric heroes
The Matter of Troy
History Mythologized
No Gods, Just Heroes
Achilles: Life, Death, Passion, and Glory
Briseis: Eros and Thanatos
Hector: For Family and Motherland
Paris: When Love Is Not Enough
Heroes at the End
Troy and the Millennium
References
Chapter 2. Resinging the Odyssey: Myth and Myth Making in O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Odysseus' Journey and O Brother
Real and Mythologized History: American Myth and Cinema
Sing O Muse! The Power of Song
Odysseus Rebooted
Everett's Odyssey
The Happy Ending and Looking Forward
Ideal Dimensions in Regressive Times: Public Benefit, Community, and Individual Redemption
References
Discussion Questions for Part
PART II: THE RELUCTANT HERO
Introduction: Hercules, The Clash of the Titans/Wrath of the Titans, and Immortals: The Fate of Humans, The Fate of the Gods
Chapter 3. What's Old Is Newish Again: Hercules
Heracles, the Hero, and His Canonical Career
Hercules/Heracles and the Sword-and-Sandals or Peplum Movie
Heracles/Hercules in the Movies
Our Hercules: Archetypal Patterns, Myth into Truth, Truth into Myth, and the Need for a Hero
Archetypal Patterns and the Mythical Arc
Fate, Prophecy, and the Final Confirmation of Identities
The Call of the Military, the Logic of Empire
Hercules the Mythical and the Reshaped Hero: A Movie for the Millennium
References
Chapter 4. Clash of the Titans / Wrath of the Titans: Altered Prototypes and Aeschylean, Wagnerian Dimensions
The Prelude: Clash of the Titans
The Archetypes and Themes: Creation to Apocalypse
Clash of the Titans: Perseus' Tragic Beginning
The Quest for Medusa
Perseus, the Kraken, and Andromeda: The Apparent First Ending--Perseus Gets Io
Wrath of the Titans: Heroism Rejected, the Death of the Gods Begins
Agenor and the Search for the Fallen One
The Labyrinth of Tartarus and the Hero's Ordeal
Perseus and the Second Titanomachy
The End of the Gods, a Reconciliation, a New Beginning
Clash/Wrath: Two Movies for the Millennium
References
Chapter 5. Theseus in Immortals: An Ideal Hero for a Rough Age
Titans and Olympians
Theseus the Hero in Classical Myth
Hyperion
Theseus' Beginnings in Immortals
"It must be his choice"
Bearing the Cross, Rescued by the Mystic Lady of Sorrow, Hope Regained
At the Heart of the Labyrinth; Burial and Rebirth
Prelude to an Armageddon
The Struggle for Life, Death, Memory, and History Begins
Victory, Apotheosis, and the Future
The Millennium and the Dream of the Moral and Divine
References
Discussion Questions for Part II
PART III: WOMEN IN THE MARGINS
Introduction: Mythical Women in the Margins
Chapter 6. Blooming Maiden and Fertile Goddess: The Myths of Pan's Labyrinth
The Spanish Civil War and Films of Resistance: Rebirth After War
A Quest for Rebirth
The World Below, the World Above
Faunus
Forests and Magical Woodlands
Blood, Slime, Sexuality, and Life
Demeter-Persephone
The Child-Killing King of Death
Blood, Sacrifice, Birth, and Rebirth
Under the Moon
Pan's Labyrinth and the Millennium
References
Chapter 7. The Perils of Oppression: The Myth of Medea in Arturo Ripstein's Such Is Life
Myths of Medea
Medea in the Movies
Ripstein and His Cinema
Of Love, Marriage, and Ira
The Exile, the Witch, the Lost Wife
New Millennium, New Beginnings
References
Discussion Questions for Part III
PART IV: COMING OF AGE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Introduction: Growing up in a Different World
Chapter 8. Gaze, Knowledge, Snakes, and Riddles: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as Foundation Myth
Gods, Titans, and Giants
Serpents, Beginnings, and Deadly Gazes
Perseus, Harry, Mycenae, and Medusa's Gaze
Thebes and the Sins of the Past
Harry Potter and the New Millennium
References
Chapter 9. Arrows, Roots, Bread, and Song: Mythical Aspects of The Hunger Games
Primeval Battles and Their Aftermath
A World of Contrasts
Maidenhood and the Hunt
Katniss Kourotrophos
Katniss and the Earth
The Bread of Life
Katniss and the Coming of Age
Echoes of War at the New Millennium
References
Chapter 10. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, an American Parody of the Hero's Journey
Parody and the Parodic Journey
The Magical Child and the Problematic Parent
The Hero
The Quest
Gods and Demigods: The Return Home
Myth Makes the Millennium
References
Discussion Questions for Part IV
Part V: New Versions of Pygmalion
Introduction: New and Old Pygmalions
Chapter 11. Lars and the Real Girl and the Pygmalion Myth: Trauma, Community, and Desire
Ovid's Pygmalion Myth: Three Themes
Pygmalion and Trauma
Pygmalion and the Word of the Father
Pygmalion as (Tragic) Hero-Protagonist
What about Galatea?
The Role of the Community
Lars and the Real Girl: Lars Creates His Bianca
Lars's Trauma and Bianca
Dr. Dagmar, the Community, and the Healing of Lars
Lars Begins to Heal
Lars and the Death of Bianca
Conclusions: Lessons from Lars
References
Chapter 12. Ruby Sparks: Rereading Pygmalion and Narcissus
The Coming-of-Age and Hero's-Journey Paradigm
Woman as Text
Reflections in the Pool: Calvin's Narcissism
The Artist's Isolation
Not-So-Ideal Women
Resisting Readings
Ruby Wakes Up
Happy Ending?
Ruby Sparks as a Movie for Our Time
References
Discussion Questions for Part V
Epilogue: Myths and Movies, Movies and Myths
Appendix: Further Readings in Classics in Film and Television