Unit information: Greek Tragedy & Cinema in 2011/12

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Unit name Greek Tragedy & Cinema
Unit code CLAS37011
Credit points 20
Level of study H/6
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director Professor. Michelakis
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None,
Co-requisites

None
School/department Department of Classics & Ancient History
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit explores screen adaptations of Greek tragedy, and more specifically adaptations of Oedipus the King (Pier Paolo Pasolini and Woody Allen), Medea (Jules Dassin and Lars von Trier) and Electra (Michael Cacoyannis and Miklos Jancso). The techniques of adapting a narrative for the screen will be investigated, as well as the context of cultural history, national ideas, political circumstance and social conventions. Particular emphasis will be given to the principles of film adaptation, the generic affinities between stage and screen, and the ideological and aesthetic preoccupations which have informed cinematic appropriations of Greek tragedy and which account for the cinematic appeal of Greek tragedy to modern audiences.

The aims of the unit are to:

  • develop skills in the analysis and interpretation of dramatic and cinematic texts, based on close readings of texts, images and videos in seminars;
  • enable students to use the knowledge acquired in seminars and through independent research to construct coherent, relevant and critical arguments concerning the interpretative issues raised by the literary and audio-visual sources studied.
  • develop skills in oral and written communication.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students should:

  • have developed skills in the analysis and interpretation of dramatic and cinematic texts, based on close readings of texts, images and videos in seminars;
  • be able to use the knowledge acquired in seminars and through independent research to construct coherent, relevant and critical arguments concerning the interpretative issues raised by the dramatic and cinematic texts studied.
  • have had the opportunity to develop their skills in oral and written communication, in making seminar presentations, taking part in seminar discussions, and producing an essay and a written examination.

Teaching Information

Seminars

Assessment Information

One essay of 3,000 words (50%) and one examination of 90 minutes (50%).

Reading and References

Easterling, P. E. (ed.) (1996), The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Hall, E., F. Macintosh & A. Wrigley (eds.) (2004), Dionysus Since 69: Greek Tragedy at the Dawn of the Third Millennium, Oxford: Oxford University Press

MacKinnon, K. (1986) Greek Tragedy into Film, London: Croom Helm

Naremore, J. (2000) Film Adaptation, London: Athlone Press

Stam, R. & A. Raengo (eds.) (2005) Literature and Film: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation, Oxford: Blackwell

Winkler, M. M. (ed.) (2001) Classical Myth and Culture in the Cinema, Oxford: Oxford University Press

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