From antiquity to the present, classic reception refers to how the literature and literary works of the Classical world are viewed in culture or by audiences. These experiments are focused on reception theory. Hans-Robert Jauss, a supporter of philosophy, believes that the decoding of works of art is dependent on both the viewer and the artist. As a result, each person who communicates with a generated item creates their own ideas about what the message intended to express is. In some instances, the preferred reading is taken into account by the reader who interprets the information that the author or creator wished to relay, as long as the work was clearly presented. Oppositional perception however connotes an interpretation that is a rejection of the views of the producer. Negotiated reading is a balance between the two with the author and viewer’s perception coming into play to establish meaning.
The study herein will entail an examination of the classical texts of Troy, Alice Oswald’s Memories, Spartacus, Hypatia, The last day of Pompeii, Burton’s Catullus Poem and the Parthenon Marbles, in order to understand the problems associated with classical reception over time. Each piece will be studied separately in order to inform of the problems which are evident from the manner in which it is interpreted or understood. Ultimately, the paper will conclude with a determination of the factors which are common in all instances. Classical reception is affected by various factors which include the age of the members of an audience, their beliefs, experiences and culture. However, such texts are also possibly reflected in a manner which is unclear due to a modern audience due to the changes in language and interpretation thereby affecting the manner in which the modern society perceives them. Several points of bias are plausible based on the modern day culture which glorifies some aspects of such classical texts over others, thereby ensuring that a preferred message takes precedence over all others. However, the author’s intended meaning lies in a critical analysis of any of the pieces of works, allowing for a deeper understanding and analysis of the world and ideologies that can shape various discourses.
Troy
The play, which is an adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, portrays the story of the war that took place between Sparta and Troy in 1250 B.C. In the version of the Iliad, the war is portrayed as one waged because of Helen, queen of Troy (Resinki 2006). The Spartans were able to defeat the Trojans for the first time through the battle which involved fifty thousand men and one thousand ships. However, the play envisages the problem with classical reception, relating to the manner in which the war is often portrayed. One problem that arises is the meaning that is lost of the real purpose of war. As Caston and Weineck (2016) aptly questioned, ‘war, what is it good for?’ The authors assert the position that the ancient wars are often perceived through a modern interpretation based on the experiences of the World Wars (Caston and Weineck 2016).As such, war tends to be viewed as an abominable activity which therefore erases all perception of the positive aspects of it such as its social nature.
Many lessons can be learned from the war, which although initiated because of Helen of Troy, shows the social nature of the battles of the time. An example is the mutual respect which soldiers feel for one another. Moreover, there is pride and honour amongst them. In one instance, for example, Hector the prince, states “Have the men gather our fallen. When they're done, send an emissary to the Greeks. They can collect their dead without fear of assault,” (Peterson 2004). As such, the play attempts to do justice to the original intention in Homer’s Iliads. Other narratives that also cloud the reception of the play relate to the role of women in war. The women in Troy are depicted as having a greater role to play in the attempt to dissuade the persistence of war. However, in Homer’s Iliad, the focus was on the heroes of war and the relations amongst them. The perspectives of women were largely ignored. The position in Troy, where for example, Helen and Briseis are crucial in attempting to prevent further conflict emanates from the societal changes that have taken place with time, thereby placing an emphasis on female perspectives in each discourse. Consequently, the war becomes more centred on the male egos of the main characters as opposed to the fight for the sanctity of the family, for example, with Menelaus’ initiation of the war to get back his wife Helen. However, the audience’s social experiences cloud their judgement on the interpretation of Troy. Modern values are subtly applied to the meanings in the play thereby differentiating it from the original Homer’s Iliad (Nisbet 2007).
Alice Oswald Memories
The poem, an interpretation of Homer’s Iliad shows the problem with classical reception wherein it is sometimes rejected partly in order to establish a viewpoint of the audience (Oswald 2011). Alice Oswald herself opined that she was “trying to retrieve the poem’s enargeia, as you might lift the roof off a church in order to remember what you are worshipping” (Oswald 2011). She thereafter took time to list all the two hundred people who died, names that she derived from the Iliad before honouring each of them by speaking about their persona and the manner in which they died (Oswald 2011). The author does justice to each of the victims of the war of Troy buy giving them an extra breath of life (Kellaway 2005). Of one soldier, she notes that “he was like a child clinging to a mother: wanting to be light again wanting this whole problem of living to be lifted and carried on a hip (Kellaway 2005).
The poet’s intention emerges as a subtle denunciation of the effects of war. A female perspective and experience is observable through the persistence effort by the writer to attach each person to the society, thereby expounding on their lives and loss that would be felt, before ultimately speaking of their deaths. A feminine perspective persists throughout the poem, in descriptions, for example, that tie the dead soldiers to the women of the society, thereby lending credence to the belief of the manner in which was is unjustified (Caston and Weineck 2016).
The problem with classical reception from Oswald’s memorial is that it deviates from the true intention of the original creator, Homer. Although she carries forth the perception of Home wherein he acknowledged the greatness of each man, the subtle concentration on the impact of soldiers’ deaths to the society was not enunciated in the manner portrayed. Moreover, the poem becomes a lesson on the futility of war, whereas Homer had no such intention. For Homer, the men simply fought for honour, bravery or fame, all of which he justified as being a part of the will of the gods. However, Oswald’s interpretation is based on a modern understanding wherein even the role of deities is precluded as bearing no meaning to the discourse on death through wars.
Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus
The adaptations of the revolutionary gladiator, Spartacus (Hunnings 2013), were based off the ancient texts of History of Rome and Histories of Sallust (Phillips 1975). The Thracian slave, who led a slave uprising and revolt, has been portrayed differently in the interpretations of the classical texts from which his story is illustrated. Such interpretations are driven by the perception of persons in the society towards common themes in the story which include slavery and war (Hardwick and Porter 2011). As such, later creations which interpreted the story of Spartacus and the slave revolts were written from a Western perspective which sought to justify slavery while maligning the slaves who had led the revolt
The description of Spartacus, for example, is written with the aim of glorifying the enslavers who captured him through the statement:“ He was a Thracian from the nomadic tribes and not only had a great spirit and great physical strength, but was, much more than one would expect from his condition, most intelligent and cultured, being more like a Greek than a Thracian”(Phillips 1975) the result therefof is to glorfy a certain type of persons, in this case Greeks, as being superior to the ‘barbarians’.
The position is one which has been carried along into modern interpretations of slavery whereby slaves were regarded as savages while Western captors regarded as the civilised. The interpretation of classical lworks of art from a Western perspective and experience are a common occurrence, for example in adaptation of Asian classics wherein Western persons are often portrayed as the heroes, without whom the battles faced by the Asians, for example Chinese, cannot be won (Wang 2014). Western hegemonic power structures are especially upheld in adaptations of classical literature in order to enhance the reverence to their dominance. Spartacus’ adaptations present a similar position with the actions of the slaves, who had been captured from their homes and sold off as gladiators, being mostly depicted in the violent activities they carried out.
The film adaptation of the story, for example, was based on the violent and darker side of the revolt, thereby giving no justice to the pacifist nature of Spartacus (Cooper 1974). The fear which the leaders in Rome had of Spartacus, is downplayed in the film adaptation thereby preserving the hegemony in the society wherein the masters are not fretful of the slaves’ actions but rather it is the captives who live in fear of their captors. When Crassus, for example, is queried by Caesor on whether he feared Spartacus, he claimed that he did not because he was defeatable (Cooper 1974). However, the position differs with the classical literature from which the film is adapted because it downplays the impact of the fear which the leaders at the time had of Spartacus and the slaves who were under his command.The reason behind such portrayal may have been to prevent social uprisings, spurred on by the idea of Spartacus, a slave who could conquer his masters.However, another possible misconstruction is the presentation of regimes such as the one Spartacus revolted again as being totalitarian, when in reality, most of the Ancient rulers of Rome were democratic (Kovacs 2013).
Hypatia and Agora
Hypatia is a classical tale of a girl of the same name, who was an intelligent mathematician and philosopher of her day (Lewis 1921). Hypatia spent her time imparting her knowledge, one of whom was in love with her. The girl is however killed because of reasons which vary in various adaptations of her story. Some of the notable points of her story include the manner in which she acted towards the man who loved her, at one point giving him a used sanitary towel to study, in order to deter him from his advances. The narrative of Hypatia is depicted in various ways, including the recognition of her achievements in the field of mathematics and science.
The adaptations of the story of Hypatia vary because of various reasons, in some instances; her age is not able to be determined because the classical literature that contained her story failed to give the timelines of her life. In such instances, the fault is the original classical piece which fails to thoroughly establish the information on her life to the audience. As such, the reader is left wondering whether she was older than the student who fell in love with her, or if they were the same age. Agora was a film adaptation of the story of Hypatia. The film contributed to the problems that are observable from the adaptation.
Agora, for example, exaggerates the accomplishments of Hypatia in a bid to create a larger than life version of her that would therefore characterise her as the heroine of the story (Viney 2013). Moreover, the creator changes the story of Hypatia’s death to have been caused by the boy who loved her smothering her to death, in an act of mercy which was aimed at protecting her from the men who aimed to stone her to her death. The plot further shows tragic irony in the instance, whereby she is saved by the very man whom she had once had mercy on when he attempted to rape her. Hypatia had placed a sword to his neck, but had not killed him, instead asking him to leave instead. The problem that arises from the classical reception in the adaptation of Hypatia, Agora, is based on the exaggeration which is used in order to enhance the commercialisation of the movie. In focusing on the aspects of a moving story which would appeal to a modern society however, focus is lost on the very meaning of the classical piece. According to Sharpe, the philosophical aspects of the piece were downplayed in Agora thereby making such meanings capable of being lost by the audience (Sharpe 2012).Hypatia’s study of astronomy, was an important aspect of not only her education and contribution to knowledge, but also part of the philosophical contributions of her time. The religious and political atmosphere at the time was a matter that was critical during the time of Hypatia. However, in the classical literature, the strife between Christianity and the origins of modern science was underplayed, perhaps due to the political climate at the time.
Agora however delves into all matters scientific and religious, thereby depicting Hypatia’s death as partly a consequence of her study of astronomy, which was prohibited by the church at the time. Furthermore, Hypatia exemplified the problem in the advancement of the belief in information of natural causes, at a time when ethics were predetermined by the Christian spiritual beliefs. As such, the tale which is conveyed to a modern audience, although relatable, varies from the original intention of the classical literature. The enunciation in Agora is based on the maintenance of the Christian or modernity worldview, seen through the modification of the position of Christianity at the time, and magnification of the contributions of Hypatia to mathematics, science and astronomy, beyond her actual knowledge. As such, the manner in which the literature is conveyed is based on modernity as opposed to the ancient days (Gray 2014).
The last day of Pompeii
The classical film, The last days of Pompeii (Scoedsack and Cooper, 1935), was a story about a gladiator, who was forced into the arena after the death of his son and wife who were killed in an accident with a chariot. However, the character later changed his ways after he killed the father of a young boy, whom he later adopted. The story differs from other versions of the same which refer to the last days of Pompeii, as a story of the end of the once great nation. The other adaptations of the tale often depict a city that was brought to ruin, although in some instances, the habitants of the city bring about their demise through their immoral behaviour. While the version of the film by Cooper had nothing to do with the impending doom which came about Pompeii, later adaptations attempted to justify the reasons behind its fall (Bulwer 2014).
Several problems emerge from the classical reception of The Last Days of Pompeii. One pertains to the often ascribed moral reasons behind the fall of Pompeii, with some versions attributing it to Christian values, similar to the Biblical stories of Sodom and Gomorrah (Goldstein 1979). The position is upheld despite the lack of evidence at the time that the Christian religion had permeated the area. Such a view is upheld because of inkling to fit the story of Pompeii, which is not fully understood, into the confines of the dominant topics in history. Religion, being a major discourse, is therefore given a dominant role, thereby failing the intention of the original classical works on Pompeii.
There is also the problem of imposition of piety upon the Ancient nations because of the common knowledge of mythologies which point towards a belief in deities. However, no evidence can be adduced to justify the position that is based on the interactions that people have with classical literature. Since most of the audience’s experiences are derived from stories about gods and humans, the position becomes embedded in adaptations f the histories to point towards the societies being prone to subservience towards gods. In some instances however, the position could not be farther from the truth.
Numerous examples show the cynicism which characters in Greek or the Roman societies had towards the deities whom they are believed to have had complete reverence for.“High destinies and new felicity. Which heaven knows nothing of, much less this earth...?” (Goldstein 1979). The piece is an alienation from the proposition that there was an emphasis for the respect of deities and nature during the time. However, since the audiences were accustomed to the knowledge of pious ancient nations, adaptations from persons who observed such works was one which exemplified a phenomenon which was accorded a much simpler status in the society.
Burton’s Catullus poem
The poems are short compositions which offer insight into the life and times of Burton Catullus (Gaisser 2001). Of the ancient poets, his classical works are the ones which provide profound manifestation of their creator, as he shares his life experiences with the audience. Poem 16 portrays the temperament of the writer with lines such as “I’ll push your shit in and stuff your face-Aurelius, you cocksucker; Furius, you little bitch-“(Gaisser 2001). The incense showcased by Burton was due to a comment that had been made that his poems had become soft. Catullus opined that such an opinion attacked his masculinity and as such, responded with vulgarities.
Poem 24 presents a narration about a girl who chooses to love a poor man. The materialistic nature of Catullus is revealed when he states, “I would prefer you to give wealth to that Midas who has neither servant nor money-box, than you allow yourself like this to be loved by that guy”. The position of the poet portrays the likelihood that he lived in a society where social classes determined the social life of an individual, especially in decisions regarding marriage. Poem 48 shows the romantic side of the narrator who declares his undying love for Juventius.
Poem 81 depicts his jealousy when Juventius chooses another man, whom he deems as inferior, over him. The haughty and cynical Catullus asks whether there was no other man in all the people of the land whom she could have chosen. 99 posits his experience after he kissed Juventus without her consent, an experience that taught him the lesson on respecting women due to the contemptuous manner she treated him afterwards.
The challenge that emanates from the interpretation of the poems by Catullus is the inclination to ascribe the experiences as those of the poet. Although the different experiences depicted show a variety of emotions and behaviour which may be credited as conclusively exploiting the persona of the poet, there is nevertheless, the fallacy of believing that such experiences were not merely a culmination of his observance of the society.
The Parthenon Marbles
The Parthenon refers to a temple which was located in Athens over 2500 years ago. The history of the place was a complex one as with time, the structure was used as a worship place for Athena, a Greek goddess, before it became a church called “The virgin Mary of the Athenians. Later on, it served as a mosque before it crumpled down to an archaeological ruin (Mommsen 2016). The remains of the building and the sculptures which were therein were divided between Athens and London However, just as the literature in the classical works of Ancient times have differed in their reception, so has controversy surrounded the building and the parts of it which were distributed to Britain.
The Greek minister, for example, questioned the double standards which exist towards his country’s patrimony, wherein there was a public outcry over its decision to keep some of the antique pieces from ruins in Afghanistan. However, his main point of contention was against the continued existence of Parthenon sculptures in a British museum when his own country had constructed a museum to showcase them. The minister opined that since the pieces were obtained from his country, it was essential that they were returned to their rightful owners, and for restitution to be issued (Hamilakis 2016). Greece deserved the compensation, if fair standards were to be applied when asking it to return antiques from Afghanistan (Rose 2002).
The problem of double standards is one which persists in classical reception. Although the histories of the great nations are similar in some instances, for example the continued waging of war for global dominance, modern powers in the West are often excused for such actions while the Roman and Greek rulers in the Ancient times viewed as barbaric. As such, the interpretations of classical works, including art, are postulated in a manner that serves current regimes and superpowers. The Parthenon marbles, in the Greek museums, on one hand, belong only to the original owners who we're Greeks. However, the narrative used to justify their continued showcasing in Britain is the opinion that the persons who excavated them from the archaeological ruins were British. Consequently, since Greek is currently not as powerful as it once was, Britain controls the narrative over Greece's artifacts.
The problem that therefore arises with classical reception is the voice through which such adaptations are presented. In all instances wherein there is an adaptation of a classical piece or an audience views such works of art, they are probe to attach some meaning to it which was unintended by the original creator or historian. The reason behind this is the fact that they were themselves not in Greece and as such, can only fathom the art from their level of understanding, which is dictated by the environment in which they grow up. Moreover, dominant narratives cloud their judgment, for example, the crediting of archaeologists over the cultural rights of the persona in the society in which such artifacts we're discovered. The case point therefore not only arises in literature, but also in other aspects of life. In America, for example, there has been a debate over the imposition of the idea that Columbus discovered America, when in essence; he could not have discovered a place where other people, namely native Indians already lived. However, the narrative which holds water is often the one from the victors or superpowers as seen in the reporting on wars in classical interpretation.
Conclusion
The problem in classical reception emanates from the adaptations which have presented throughout history, thereby clouding the judgment of modern audiences over the real occurrences of the Ancient period (Jenkyns 2014). Importance has been attached to the parts of the narratives which present the current societal hegemonies. Such adaptations are therefore used to cloud the reception of the classical works, making the viewers lose the messages intended by the original creators. Some of the ideologies presented in order to change the narratives include views that uphold current world dominant powers, feminist approach, portrayal of religion as having an important attribute in the societies and the glorification of some negative aspects of the society, including slavery. The challenge of continued distortion of classical pieces is that it may ultimately render obsolete, a clear understanding of the history of great nations, from which leaders and the society, in general, can learn from.
In instances where audiences are presented with the classical pieces of art, there are still various challenges in the decoding of the creators' knowledge. Where some crucial information is lacking, mainly due to the omission by the author or artist, audiences are forced to include their own understanding thereby modifying the information, as with Hypolatia's age. In instances, where all requisite information is provided, societal narratives sometimes cloud the minds of the persons who receive the ideas. An example is the belief in the pious nature of Ancient societies. However, a critical analysis which includes research into original works provides a basis upon which the original narratives can be understood. The importance of such critical thinking while handling classic pieces cannot be understated, especially in light of the important role, that history plays in guidance, chastising as well as warning the society and its leaders.
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