Description
Book SynopsisThis is the first volume of essays published on the television series
Troy: Fall of a City (BBC One and Netflix, 2018). Covering a wide range of engaging topics, such as gender, race and politics, international scholars in the fields of classics, history and film studies discuss how the story of Troy has been recreated on screen to suit the expectations of modern audiences. The series is commended for the thought-provoking way it handles important issues arising from the Trojan War narrative that continue to impact our society today. With discussions centered on epic narrative, cast and character, as well as tragic resonances, the contributors tackle gender roles by exploring the innovative ways in which mythological female figures such as Helen, Aphrodite and the Amazons are depicted in the series. An examination is also made into the concept of the hero and how the series challenges conventional representations of masculinity. We encounter a significant investigation of race
Trade ReviewScreening Love and War in Troy: Fall of a City helps orient viewers to the series’ many points of reference in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, literature, and art, including the lost Epic Cycle, traditions of tragic drama, and Virgil’s
Aeneid alongside the foundational Homeric
Iliad. The chapters offer a range of approaches to topics in the story, in the series as an example of television and cinema, and in how both have been received by audiences. This volume is a thought-provoking study of
Troy: Fall of a City and is likely to be of interest to fans as well as other students of classical receptions on screen. -- Benjamin Eldon Stevens, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, Trinity University, USA
To conclude, on a personal level, I willingly admit that this well-rounded volume helped me better understand and appreciate the series. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Foreword by Derek Wax, Executive Producer,
Troy: Fall of a City Editors’ Acknowledgments List of Episodes
Introduction: Screening Love and War in
Troy: Fall of a City (Monica S. Cyrino, University of New Mexico, USA and Antony Augoustakis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA)
PART I. Epic Narrative 1. Binge for Me, O Muse: Episodes, Books, and Cycles (Dan Curley, Skidmore College, USA) 2. Delineating the Divine: Gods and Religion at Troy (Lisa Maurice, Bar-Ilan University, Israel) 3. From Judgment to Fall: Aphrodite and Paris (Monica S. Cyrino, University of New Mexico, USA) 4. Sympathy for Troy’s Jezebel: Helen as Antihero (Meredith E. Safran, Trinity College, USA) 5. The Curse of Troy: Odysseus’ Story (Emma Stafford, University of Leeds, UK)
PART II. Cast and Character 6. Racist Reactions to Black Achilles (Rebecca Futo Kennedy, Denison University, USA) 7. Pussy Politics: Women and Power in the Homeric Patriarchy (Kirsten Day, Augustana College, USA) 8. Queering Troy: Freedom and Sexuality (Thomas E. Jenkins, Trinity University, USA) 9. Heroic Hairstyles and Manless Amazons at Troy (Walter D. Penrose, San Diego State University, USA) 10. Costume Changes: Dressing Helen of Sparta and Troy (Stacie Raucci, Union College, USA)
PART III. Tragic Resonances 11. Fallen Heroes: Recasting Ajax and the Greeks on Screen (Anastasia Bakogianni, Massey University, New Zealand) 12. Family vs. Compassion: Odysseus and the Ethics of War (Meredith Prince, Auburn University, USA) 13. Bloody Brides: Iphigenia, Helena, and Ritual Exchange (Amy L. Norgard, Truman State University, USA) 14. Kings of Men and Sacrificial Daughters (Krishni Burns, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA) 15. Lessons for Leaders: Destiny, Devotion, and Self-Deception (Brian Cooke, independent scholar, USA)
Epilogue:
Troy: Fall of a City and its Ancient Sources (Diana Burton, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) Bibliography Filmography Index
