I'm most interested right now in researching other contemporary books that are adaptations of Ancient Greek plays. It was captivating to see how similar and different modern society is from Ancient Greece. Shamsie was able to adapt the same story—and with it, the social qualms that plagued Greek society—and apply it to modern society. While the stories were set thousands of years apart, they were able to tell a parallel story with a parallel message behind it. Showing that even with thousands of years of social, political, and economic progress, the same issues of illegitimate power, discrimination, loyalty, integrity, and love exist. Just because two people exist in different places and times doesn't mean they can't be very similar—Aneeka and Antigone have very similar ideologies, values, and integrity, even though one grew up in modern Britain and the other in Ancient Greece. I would like to see what other books offer similar inter-societal parallels. This is important because it gives great insight into what problems only plague just contemporary society, and what problems have plagued humanity forever—and are likely deeper human issues.
I think Neatline is the best platform to present this project with because it can show the geographical and time period differences between the books. While also utilizing the ability to overlay text to briefly explain the plots of the different books. Neatline can show the differences in time and place between the books while simultaneously emphasizing the similar themes within the books, which can show how themes similarly come about in vastly different societies.
Hi Noah! I agree that I think Neatline would be really helpful for this final project, and it'll probably be the format I end up with as well. Your topic idea sounds really interesting, I think the significance you brought to it is awesome. The only thing I wonder is if everything is a contemporary adaptation of a Greek play, your timeline/map may be pretty concentrated in one area? I'm not sure how far we are supposed to "stretch" through time and space, so that would be the only thing I would look into! I'm really excited to see what you end up making!
ReplyDeleteHi Noah, I also think that Neatline would be great for your final project! I think it really helps us visualize how special it is that ancient and modern books can be related. It's fascinating to think about how human society hasn't changed drastically. Like you said, Aneeka and Ismene experienced many of the same problems which were all caused by people's inability to stretch their understanding to fit their dreams.
ReplyDeleteHi Noah! I think this idea is great! I'm interested to see how you find similarities and differences between modern society and ancient Greece. I'm curious to see what has remained relatively similar throughout time and what has completely changed. I'm excited to see a Neatline for a research excursion because I don't think anyone has made one yet (other than microlectures of course).
ReplyDeleteHi Noah! That is such a great idea! If you end up pursing this topic then I am definitely interested in learning about what you found! I wish you the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteHey Noah! I like your research idea about modern book adaptations of ancient Greek plays. In addition to the timeless themes and struggles you talked about, maybe you could examine the way different authors translate plays into prose. It might be cool to see how different authors have adapted dialogue, stage cues, and roles such as the chorus to resonate with a modern audience. Either way, best of luck!
ReplyDeleteNoah! I love your idea on modern book adaptations of ancient Greek plays. There is so much to explore with this topic including the various translations, play history, etc. I'm excited to see you utilize Neatline as well.
ReplyDeleteJust one warning: you will need 4 texts that represent both different regions of the globe AND different time periods, so unfortunately you will not be able to focus exclusively on the contemporary period for this project. However, given the time period of your starting location (ancient Greece), you still have an enormous range of history you can cover. Make it a priority to seek out adaptations from less obvious parts of the world. You might want to limit your starting text to Sophocles, at least at the beginning, unless you have another playwright or play you want to include. Feel free to meet with me for research support!
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