An evening of Epic Women

An upcoming event on November 16 at the Municipal Multipurpose Center in Nicosia, two leading figures in classical reception, and advocates of classical education for all, will view the reception of the Homeric epic through the lens of contemporary social issues.

Edith Hall is a Professor of Classics specialising in the study of ethnicity, class and gender in ancient sources, ancient theatre, and the instrumentality of ancient ideas in world culture. Natalie Haynes, a classicist, performer, broadcaster and author, looks at ancient myth through the prism of contemporary social realities. In her book A Thousand Ships she re-tells the story of the Trojan War through the perspective of the female characters – a revolutionary act that challenges the audience’s relationship with classical texts. This novel is one in a series of contemporary retellings and new translations of Homer by female authors, revealing a radical change in the reception of Homeric epic in recent years.

The event will focus on the study of the classical canon in the context of contemporary social developments as well as how this is expressed in mainstream culture. The point of departure is contemporary reception of the Homeric epic across media and genres and novels such as A Thousand Ships which pose the questions: when we re-tell these stories, how do we remember the women, the slaves, the marginalised? When we look at these foundation myths today, what are we saying about the future of our society?

 

Epic Women

Talk and presentation by Edith Hall and Natalie Hayness on the Homeric epic through the lens of contemporary social issues. November 16. Municipal Multipurpose Center, Nicosia. 6-9pm. €12. Tel: 99-692428, 96-500767

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.