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Classical Myth and Film in the New Millennium
by Patricia Salzman-Mitchell and Jean Alvares
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Book Presentation:
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
About the authors:
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.
Press Reviews:
"A vast and exciting field stretches before scholars and instructors who engage with the question of why the material that we have come to cherish and steward professionally continues to fascinate and delight audiences with no skin in the game of classics-but who may yet be induced to appreciate how their current fandom for Percy Jackson constitutes their participation in the classical tradition. Classical Myth and Film in the New Millennium embraces that project wholeheartedly." --Meredith E. Safran, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"This is the first book devoted exclusively to the cinematic reception of Greek mythology in the new millennium. Using theoretical approaches from structural analysis to psychoanalysis to feminist criticism, the book offers several lenses through which to understand the selected films, which range from epic films, including Troy and The Hunger Games, to lesser-known independent movies, like Ruby Sparks and the Mexican film Such Is Life. The book's detailed discussions of the films and the myths to which they respond are comprehensive enough for use as the stand-alone textbook in a course on classics and film, while individual sections and chapters could be excerpted to supplement modules for a myth course."--Emma Scioli, University of Kansas
"Salzman and Alvares bring original and lively insights to bear on both the myths and the movies they have selected for scrutiny in this wide-ranging book about classical motifs, texts, heroes, and monsters at the cinema. There are some controversial readings along the way, as is to be expected in any work of stimulating scholarship, and the authors have provided interesting questions for their readers at the end of each chapter, so no one has to be a passive consumer of this book! It can proudly take its place in the ever-growing collection of teaching and research volumes on the reception of classical myth in the modern media."--Paula James, Open University
See the publisher website: Oxford University Press
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