DOCSLIB.ORG

Syllabus CIVILIZATIONS of the ANCIENT WORLD••• ••HIS 246••• ••SPRING 2019••• ••WILSON

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Syllabus CIVILIZATIONS of the ANCIENT WORLD••• ••HIS 246••• ••SPRING 2019••• ••WILSON Syllabus CIVILIZATIONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD••• ••HIS 246••• ••SPRING 2019••• ••WILSON “History is philosophy teaching by examples.” — THUCYDIDES Course Details Instructor Office Hours Civilizations of the Ancient World Dr. Mark B. Wilson Room CA-292 HIS 246-B301 (57065) [email protected] Tue/Thu 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. http://markbwilson.com Thu 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Spring 2019 (718) 960-8288 (History dept. office) and by appointment Tue/Thu 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. Room: TBA Rationale Our entire lives are conditioned by concepts like civilization and society, yet we seldom stop to think about how they shape our behaviors and expectations. By traveling back to the very emergence of civilization, we can experience both the revolution in how humans related to each other and the proliferation of new kinds of societies—each with their own distinct ideas about communities and individuals, communication, trade, protection, gender, mortality, and the strange, unbounded realms of the gods. All of this forms not just the background but the substance of the modern world: how we think, and what others think of us. The everyday hubbub of ancient worlds vibrates in the bones of our own societies. Course Aims In this course we will explore the Mediterranean world, beginning with the first humans and tracing the development of civilization from Mesopotamia and Egypt to the ancient Greek city-states and the rise and fall of Rome. Our plan will be to compare the principles and practices of these societies, toward a stronger understanding of human society in general. Specific Learning Objectives In this course we’ll be pursuing a number of goals, including: • Exploration of the emergence of civilization and its implications for humanity • Exposure to the cultures and beliefs of a wide array of diverse Mediterranean civilizations • Exploration of evolutionary changes in the realms of politics; economics; military techniques; religious beliefs; social norms; writing and literature practices; artistic expression; and science and philosophy • Examination of how the many interactions and transformations of ancient civilizations developed into a Western identity, part of the origin of the modern Western world • Development of skills associated with study of history, including interpretation of primary sources and other evidence. Course readings CIVILIZAT IONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD••• ••HIS 246••• ••WILSON The following three books are required: Mathisen, Ralph W. George, Andrew R. West, Thomas G. Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Four Texts on Socrates. 2d Edition. London: Penguin Books, 2003. Ithaca: Cornell Press, 1998. Oxford University Press, 2014. 978-0-140-44919-8. $13.00 978-0-801-48574-9. $12.30 978-0-199-38445-7. $55.80 Amazon link on the website Amazon link on the website Amazon link on the website • Make sure you get the right • I strongly recommend the • This has Aristophanes’s edition, especially if you’re Andrew George edition comedy Clouds, which we’ll buying a used copy. The because he translated directly be reading in class, but the second edition is significantly from the source. It also has a other works may help your different, and page numbers very useful introduction. If interpretation of the play, and will not match up with earlier you get another edition, make also your essay. editions. sure it is based on the • There are versions Standard Version of the epic. • There’s a copy on reserve at of Clouds online. But the intro the college library. • There is not a good version of and notes will be vital to your the epic online. You’re best appreciation of the play, so off with the Penguin. you should use this book, or another print edition. All three books are available from Lehman College Bookstore, either in person or online. (The website URL for the Lehman College bookstore is http://www.lehmancollege.bkstr.com.) All three are also available from Amazon and other online retailers. If you order online, make sure you do so enough in advance that you’ll receive the books in time for the assignments. Course Components CIVILIZAT IONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD••• ••HIS 246••• ••WILSON Course Grade Components Your grade for the course will be determined from the following: • Quizzes 15% • Interpretive Essays (3) 30% • Midterm 20% • Final Exam 35% A Quizzes We’ll have short quizzes at the start of most some meetings. These are to help gauge our relationship with the material in the readings. Quizzes are scheduled roughly every other class. The quizzes are based on the material you’ve prepared for that class, including: • the textbook assignment for that meeting as listed in the Schedule, and • the two ancient readings (Gilgamesh and Clouds), when they’re assigned. If you did your reading for the class and watched the videos, you should be prepared for the quiz. Quizzes are always based on the materials assigned for that class meeting, even if I am slightly behind the syllabus in class. Make sure to always do the assigned readings and videos. Missed quizzes are not made up. If you come late to class and miss a quiz, you’ll get a zero for that quiz. Therefore, please make sure you come to class on time and prepared. B Interpretive Essays You’ll write three interpretive essays: • One on the portrayal of society or religion in The Epic of Gilgamesh; • One on Clouds and its relationship with actual events in classical Athens; and • A response to your choice of nonwritten artistic depictions of the ancient world, including sculpture, painting, performance, or film, comparing the history that’s come down to us with how it has been represented. We’ll talk in class about what’s expected. The specific assignments are given in the Writing Assignments tab. Optional Draft. You can submit a draft of the paper to me up to a week before it’s due; I’ll give you some general feedback (but not a grade). Because I accept drafts, I do not allow students to submit revised versions of their final paper after the due date. C Exams The midterm exam will cover the course up to that point. We’ll discuss the content and structure the previous week, and a review sheet will be provided. The exam take place during our regular class meeting on the day indicated on the schedule. The final exam will cover from the midterm onward—except for the essay portion, which will cover themes from the entire course. We’ll discuss the content and structure the week before the final, and a review sheet will be provided. The final exam lasts two hours and will take place on the day designated by the registrar’s office. Attendance and Participation • Class attendance is required. Missing classes will damage your grade. o Textbooks are designed to give you the basics; it’s in class that we try to make sense of things, and sift out what’s important. Missing classes means you miss out on a key part of our trying to put things together. o If you miss classes or habitually arrive late, you’ll miss quizzes, which will put a big crimp in your grade for the course. Quizzes are not made up, so the quizzes you miss will count against you. • Religious observances that affect your class attendance should be discussed in advance. • Make-up exams are given only in cases of documented medical emergencies. • Late submissions are marked down one letter grade per class meeting, up to a cap of 30. I will give ungraded feedback on draft versions of any written assignment up to one week before the due date. • I do not accept rewritten essays after an assignment has been submitted, graded, and returned; but some deductions are reversible (see the sample grading sheet on the Requirements tab). • I do not give incompletes except in emergency cases mutually arranged in advance of the final exam. Guidelines • Don’t waste this opportunity! Make the most out of this class. • Please use me as a resource. Come to my office hours, talk to me after class, or send me emails with any questions you have— whether they relate to the requirements of the course, or to ideas we’re reading about or discussing in class. • Be on time and prepared. By prepared, I mean you should come into class having done the readings for that day—and thought about them. Come in ready to talk about your reactions to the readings and the videos, and the questions they raised in your mind. • Check your email. Make sure I have a good email address for you and check it, as I occasionally send information and updates by email. If you have not gotten an email from me within the first week after school begins, check your spam folders. If you can’t find an email from me, send me an email to let me know how best to reach you. • Phones and electronics need to be silenced and stowed. A phone ringing during class is hugely disruptive. Texting during class is just as rude and insulting as talking on the phone. • Talk to me if you’re struggling. Come to me in office hours or after class, and the sooner the better. Don’t wait until it’s too late to turn things around. Submitting Assignments • All written assignments must be submitted via BlackBoard using the upload links there. BlackBoard is accessed through CUNY Login. If you have trouble with BlackBoard, please call the computer helpdesk at (718) 960-1111. I won’t accept written assignments by email or in hardcopy.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • |||GET||| Euthyphro 1St Edition
    EUTHYPHRO 1ST EDITION DOWNLOAD FREE Plato | 9781605977409 | | | | | Euthyphro dilemma Tsedeq is something that happens here, and can be seen, and recognized, and known. Practical Ethics 3d ed. Related topics Criticism of religion Ethics in religion Exegesis Faith and rationality History of religions Religion and science Religious philosophy Theology. Roughly, it is the view that there are independent moral standards: some actions are right or wrong in themselves, independent of God's commands. Euthyphro's final suggestion is that holiness is a kind of trading with Euthyphro 1st edition gods, where we give them sacrifices and they grant our prayers. Socrates points out that if both options were true, they together would yield a vicious circle, with the gods loving the pious because it is the Euthyphro 1st edition, and the pious being the pious because the gods love it. Positions Aesthetics Formalism Institutionalism Aesthetic response. At this point the dilemma surfaces. Early life. Euthyphro's first definition of piety is what he is doing now, that is, prosecuting his father for manslaughter 5d. Clearly, the answer is again the latter, something becomes beloved when it is loved. Something is a meter long inasmuch as it is the same length as the standard meter bar, and likewise, something is good inasmuch as it approximates God. Essentialists apply labels to things because they possess certain essential qualities that make them what they are. Is something "beloved" in and of itself like being big or redor does it become beloved when it is loved by someone? Emrys Westacott is a professor Euthyphro 1st edition philosophy at Alfred University.
    [Show full text]
  • Read Book Timaeus and Critias Ebook Free Download
    TIMAEUS AND CRITIAS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Plato,Desmond Lee,Thomas Kjeller Johansen | 176 pages | 25 Nov 2008 | Penguin Books Ltd | 9780140455045 | English | London, United Kingdom Timaeus and Critias PDF Book But one of them exceeds all the rest in greatness and valour. About the Series: For over years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Particular characteristics of matter, such as water's capacity to extinguish fire, was then related to shape and size of the constituent triangles. Though each function individually, the ultimate design is one of interconnectivity. And this is reason why the names of the ancients have been preserved to us and not their actions. Now a large family of distinguished sons sprang from Atlas; d but it was the eldest, who, as king, always passed on the scepter to the eldest of his sons, and thus they preserved the sovereignty for many generations; and the wealth they possessed was so immense that the like had never been seen before in any royal house nor will ever easily be seen again; and they were provided with everything of which provision was needed either in the city or throughout the rest of the country. We must endeavor next to repeat the account of the rest of the country, a what its natural character was, and in what fashion it was ordered. But I should like to make my meaning clearer, if Timaeus, you will follow me. Welliver, Warman Timaeus and Critias by Plato ,. Barefoot in Athens film Socrates film.
    [Show full text]
  • Dr. Lilia Castle Office Hours : M 1-3 A
    Course Syllabus World Civilizations 1 Fall, 2001 Course HIST 151 O'~ Day/Time/Place : TTH 9.30-10.50 Henry 221 Instructor: Dr. Lilia Castle Office Hours : M 1-3 a. m. Phone : 739-4628 off. Course Description : This course will introduce students to the history, philosophy, religion, literature, and fine arts of the greatest World Civilizations. The course is designed to help students to understand the spirit of ancient cultures, the meaning and mode of life of our predecessors . Their attitude toward sex, love, marriage, war, and peace will be given in comparison with contemporary views. Exams and Creative Project : 1 .There will be a mid-term exam, a final exam, a test, and a creative project . 2. Students will also make short presentations for extra credit, take pop-quizzes and write analytical essays in class. 3 . Attendance : Students are expected to attend all classes, to be prepared, and participate if they wish to receive full credit for the course. Course Grading : All students will take mid-term and final exams on the dates scheduled . The exams will be given specific letter and number grades, and will count for a percentage of the total grade, as follows : 90-100 A Mid-term - 15% 80-89 B Final exam-15% 70-79 C Test-8% 60-69 D In class participation -10% Below 60 F Group discussign§- 19% Essays-12% Short quizzes-23% Creative project -5% Course Texts: Philip J .Adler, World Civilizations, 2nd edition Additional reading and handouts will be provided . COURSE SCHEDULE Aug.28 Introduction to the course .
    [Show full text]
  • The Individual and the State, English, Social Studies: 5113.72
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 071 936 80 005 073 AUTHOR Xnappe, Shirley; Hall, Peggy TITLE The Individual and the State, EnOtsh, Social Studies: 5113.72. INSTITUTION Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Fla. PUB DATE 71 NOTE 82p.; An authorized Course of Instruction for the Quinmester Program EDRS PRICE MF -$O.65 HC -$3.29 DESCRIPTORS Citizenship; Civics; Civil Disobe'ience; Civil Liberties; Curriculum Guides; *Dissent; Ethical Values; Fine Arts; Humanities Instruction; Individualism; *Language Arts; *Laws; Literature; *Moral Issues; Philosophy; Political Issues; Responsibility; Secondary Grades; *Social Studies IDENTIFIERS huthority; Justice; *Quinmester Program ABSTRACT This secondary-level, language arts/social studies curriculum guide focuses on the princip2es of law and justice relating to the individual and the state; attitudes about justiceund injustice; methods of accepting or rejecting the authorities'concept of justice; the effects of these methods; and the relationship. of the arts to these issues. The guide contains a brief rationale for the course; performance objectives; an outline of the course content; detailed descriptions of teaching strategies; andan extensive bibliography of student and teacher resources. A variety of human, .media, and written resources drawn from both the social sciences and the arts and humanities are suggested, .0U0 Nr a. CY" INTEREST NOTICE SC APE OF has assigned LJ The ERIC Facility for processing trim document to Inourudgementth'sserest to the d"mi clea nnt9- also °notedto t ne ,ghtIndex. houses uld reflect thesP 4c al points of view AUTHORIZED COURSE OF INSTRUCTION FORTHE U i r.4-) Mr G) Q ':) 0 V) CI CI2:10 rn O LANGUAGE ARTS SOCIAL STUDIES -1 The Individual and the State -< 5113.72 -17 5114.70 5115.70 1153 5116.70 6448.56 6416.52 C") CD DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION1971 U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION & WELFARE OF ICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED r ROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG INATiNG IT POINTS Or VIEVI.
    [Show full text]
  • Cairo University Repository
    Conflicting Versions of Tragic Socrates—A Victim of Democracy or Anti-Democracy? Heba H. El-ABBADI Cairo University The aim of this paper is to investigate three dramatic presentations that treat the events of the trial and death of Socrates. With reference to Cultural Materialism, intertextuality, and to three tragic theories, the paper will show how the controversial character of Socrates is treated diversely through the ages in different societies. The paper first examines Plato's The Trial and Death of Socrates, which includes Euthyphro (c. 399 B.C), Apology (399 B.C), Crito (360 B.C.) and PhaedoRepository (360 B.C), as a tragic tetralogy written during the heyday of Greek Democracy, with special reference to Aristotle's Poetics (335 B.C.). Furthermore, it explores the cultural and politicalUniversity factors that led two modern dramatists to adapt Plato’s dialoguesCairo in their respective plays, namely, the British playwright Clifford Bax’s Socrates (1930) in connection to George Steiner’s The Death of Tragedy (1961), and the American dramatist Maxwell Anderson’s Barefoot in Athens (1951) against his tragic theory formulated in ‘The Essence of Tragedy’ (1931). Initiated in the 1970s in Britain and redefined in the 1980s, cultural materialism “stresses interaction between cultural creations such as literature and their historical context, including social, political and economic elements” (Nostbakken 2000, 21-25, esp. 21). The cultural materialist thus seeks “to expose the political unconscious of the text” (Sinfield 2006, 25+). Jonathan Dollimore and Alan Sinfield refer to the meaning of the term they promoted in their Political Shakespeare: Essays in Cultural Materialism (1985) as “a combination of historical context, theoretical method, political commitment and contextual analysis” (1985, vii).
    [Show full text]
  • Barefoot in Athens' Disappointing
    ON THE AIR THE Elti4it•IC Washington, D. L. 1 • • • • Tuesday, Nor. 15, 1966 Barefoot in Athens' DIsappointing TV-Radio By BERNIE HARRISON union's four largest and most Commission report on eduea- Star TV Critic CHANNEL CHUCKLES important locals, Las Angeles, tional TV, due to be issued Jan. To tell 'er the truth, I never —By Bil Keane New York, Chicago and Wash- 4, won't recommend an excise 44 cared for Maxwell Anderson's ington, have given their leaders tax on TV sets or assessmentsii "Barefoot in Athens" in its the authority to call a strike in against commercial broadeaV entirety, on stage, and the "Hall the event negotiations fail. A ters, TV Digest reports . In of Fame's" abbreviated version spokesman for the union said fact, the report will skirt the 1:r of it last riday on NBC shot off that if such a strike were called, issue of ETV financing, contrary some sparks, but never enough the networks stations would be to the current rash of published •- to light up the trial scene that running nothing except old reports. made it worth all the intermin- movies or records. So what else , 4 - able talking and pasturing. is new? Listen to Bernie Harrison weekdays, Maybe I've seen too many 5:40 p.m., WQMR. plays lately that rake the ears Hockey Tonight with talk and no matter how Channel 20 undertakes its first brilliant the words, there de- "live" telecast of ice hockey yelps a craving for something to tonight (8 o'clock, Baltimore vs.
    [Show full text]
  • {Dоwnlоаd/Rеаd PDF Bооk} the Good Master Kindle
    THE GOOD MASTER PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Kate Seredy | 192 pages | 08 Feb 2002 | Penguin Books Australia | 9780140301335 | English | Hawthorn, Australia The Good Master PDF Book Accessed 21 Oct. Back Calendar List of Events Retreats. Save Word. Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way. Webster's Bible Translation And behold, one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? As news of peace comes over the radio, he already has his plans made. In a broad sense, The Master tells the story of a soulless drifter, Freddie Quell Joaquin Phoenix, constantly drunk and with no purpose in life, finding sanctuary in the company of The Cause, a cult-like group lead by a charismatic intellectual, Lancaster Dodd Philip Seymour Hoffman. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments. When we meet Dodd, he is middle-aged, jovial, not above singing jolly tunes and acting the cut-up at parties. Spontaneous Matt Zoller Seitz. Discover other films he has both written and directed. New International Version A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? We're intent on clearing it up 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'? Darby Bible Translation And a certain ruler asked him saying, Good teacher, having done what, shall I inherit eternal life? He goes directly below deck and begins draining fuel from a torpedo. Patty McCormack as Mildred. Douay- Rheims Bible And behold one came and said to him: Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting? This Doctrine goes straight to the point, to concrete, clear and definite facts.
    [Show full text]
  • Course Syllabus HIST 151(7--L World Civilizations 1 Dr,Lilia Castle
    Course Syllabus HIST 151(7--l World Civilizations 1 Course Day/Time/Place : Tuesday, Thursday 2.00-3 :20, Henry 221 Instructor: Dr,Lilia Castle bttice Hours: Wednesday 9.30-11.00 a.m. Phone : 739-4628 off. Course Description: This course will introduce students to history, philosophy, religion, literature, politics and fine arts of the greatest World Civilizations. The course is designed to give students an understanding of the world outlook and the meaning of life from the point of view of Ancient people . Their mode of life, their attitude toward love and marriage will be discussed in our workshops . Exams and Creative Pro-ect : l .There will be a mid-term exam in the form of a dialogue (with or without a partner), a final exam, a quiz, 10 minutes presentation and creative project (performance is a possibility) 2. Students will also write short tests, pop-quizzes and analytical essays in class. 3 . Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes, to be prepared, and participate if they wish to receive full credit for the course. Course Grading : All students will take a mid-term (dialogue due), and final exam on the dates scheduled. The exams will be given specific letter and number grades, and will count for a percentage of the total grade, as follows : 90-100 A Mid-term dialogue - 15% 80-89 B Final exam-15% 70-79 C Quiz-10% 60-69 D Student's presentation-5% Below 60 F Creative project- 10% Essays-15% Quizzes, tests-15°10 In class participation-10% Course Texts: McKay-Hill-Buckler, A History of World Societies Additional reading and handouts will be provided.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case of Socrates in North-American Popular Media, – S
    Classical Receptions Journal Vol . Iss. () pp. – The making of a democratic symbol: the case of Socrates in North-American popular media, – S. Sara Monoson* How and why have particular figures from Greek antiquity occasionally become part of the modern popular vernacular? What is the role of the iconic figure as a means of remembering and remaking the classical past? This article considers these questions by way of one exemplary case study, the mobilizations of ‘Socrates’ for theatre and television audiences in North America in the early 1950s. I argue that Downloaded from during this period of acute political stress over issues of national security, Cold War orthodoxies and McCarthyism, creative artists developed distinctive interpretations of Socrates as oblique contributions to raging political controversies crj.oxfordjournals.org and in so doing helped inaugurate the widespread use of Socrates as a popular symbol of the ideals of democracy. at Northwestern University Library, Serials Department on May 17, 2011 How and why have particular figures from Greek antiquity occasionally become part of the modern popular vernacular? What is the role of the iconic figure ‘as a means of transmission and reinvention’ of the classical past, ‘especially when whole texts are not directly known by most audiences’. This article considers these questions by way of one exemplary case study, the mobilizations of ‘Socrates’ for theatre and television audiences in North America in the early s. I argue that during this period of acute political stress over issues of national security, Cold War ortho- doxies, and McCarthyism, creative artists developed distinctive interpretations of Socrates as oblique contributions to the raging political controversies, and in so doing helped inaugurate the widespread use of Socrates as a popular symbol of the ideals of democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • Preview from Notesale.Co.Uk Page 2 of 4
    ● ‘Men did not merely mistake their benefactor; they mistook him for the exact contrary of what he was, and treated him as the prodigy of impiety, which they themselves are now held to be, for their treatment of him.’ → comparison of Jesus Christ and Socrates → not that they were wrong, but their truth was hard to swallow → tells the truth about the troublesome voice ● Mill uses Socrates as an emblem, who carried a message which is vital for the modern day Visual art: A. Canova, ‘Apologia di Socrate davanti ai giudici’ (1790-2) ● One of a series ● Followed by ‘Socrates sends his family away’ ● Socrates drinking in the prison cell ● ‘Crito closes Socrates’s eyes’ There is a passion sequence ● There is a reference to a parallel between Socrates and Jesus Maxwell Anderson, Barefoot in Athens (1951, 1966) ● Big questions about the liberty of the individual voice and the ability of the community to impose censorship on an individual who shifts from the collective voice ● Democracy vs Communism ( ref. To Sparta) ● Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) - cartoons Why does this matter? Preview from Notesale.co.uk ● Freedom of thought and freedom of criticism are both emphasised ● In both versions we find Socrates passPageionately defend i2ng thofe extr em4e value of criticism and examination in a democratic context ● The first version of the film was produced after a visit to Athens during a Civil War; McCarthy was also on the rise in the US CBS Radio - You are There - 1947-50 ● Episode of March 1948 - the Death of Socrates The event continues to be important
    [Show full text]
  • {PDF} the Symposium Ebook, Epub
    THE SYMPOSIUM PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Plato | 128 pages | 25 Aug 2005 | Penguin Books Ltd | 9780141023847 | English | London, United Kingdom The Symposium - IMDb From Coraline to ParaNorman check out some of our favorite family-friendly movie picks to watch this Halloween. See the full gallery. Two English stage actors, Hugo and Jago, have an artistic difference while rehearsing a radio play. This evolves rapidly into a huge fracas, and spills onto a West End side street. Naturally, this draws a horde or passersby, including an American bystander, who elects to be the peacemaker. Things soon deteriorate from the scholarly to the brutal, even physical, and long held personal and societal prejudices surface. Class, racial origins, and history are harshly debated. Then Hugo, the posh one, proclaims his African ancestry, which bombshell causes a puzzled Jago to accost an African Traffic warden for verification, thus opening a third front to his quarrel with Hugo. There is a reversal of roles, with the posh Hugo championing liberal causes, the working class Jago becoming more and more entrenched as a xenophobe, and the traffic warden boasting an exemplary academic and social pedigree, despite his job. Unbeknownst to Jago, however, this entire 'symposium' is meant either to be his Written by Ishmael Annobil. Looking for something to watch? Choose an adventure below and discover your next favorite movie or TV show. Visit our What to Watch page. Sign In. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. Release Dates. Official Sites. Company Credits. Technical Specs. Plot Summary. Plot Keywords. External Sites.
    [Show full text]
  • Conflicting Versions of Tragic Socrates—A Victim of Democracy Or Anti-Democracy?
    Conflicting Versions of Tragic Socrates—A Victim of Democracy or Anti-Democracy? Heba H. El-ABBADI Cairo University The aim of this paper is to investigate three dramatic presentations that treat the events of the trial and death of Socrates. With reference to Cultural Materialism, intertextuality, and to three tragic theories, the paper will show how the controversial character of Socrates is treated diversely through the ages in different societies. The paper first examines Plato's The Trial and Death of Socrates, which includes Euthyphro (c. 399 B.C), Apology (399 B.C), Crito (360 B.C.) and Phaedo (360 B.C), as a tragic tetralogy written during the heyday of Greek Democracy, with special reference to Aristotle's Poetics (335 B.C.). Furthermore, it explores the cultural and political factors that led two modern dramatists to adapt Plato’s dialogues in their respective plays, namely, the British playwright Clifford Bax’s Socrates (1930) in connection to George Steiner’s The Death of Tragedy (1961), and the American dramatist Maxwell Anderson’s Barefoot in Athens (1951) against his tragic theory formulated in ‘The Essence of Tragedy’ (1931). Initiated in the 1970s in Britain and redefined in the 1980s, cultural materialism “stresses interaction between cultural creations such as literature and their historical context, including social, political and economic elements” (Nostbakken 2000, 21-25, esp. 21). The cultural materialist thus seeks “to expose the political unconscious of the text” (Sinfield 2006, 25+). Jonathan Dollimore and Alan Sinfield refer to the meaning of the term they promoted in their Political Shakespeare: Essays in Cultural Materialism (1985) as “a combination of historical context, theoretical method, political commitment and contextual analysis” (1985, vii).
    [Show full text]