Ancient magic and the supernatural in the modern visual and performing arts
By: edited by Filippo Carlà and Irene Berti
Series: Bloomsbury studies in classical reception
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2015
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9781472527837
Subjects: Art and religion; Performing arts; BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / General; Art; HISTORY / Ancient / General; Themes, motives; Art and mythology; Art and society; Group identity; Modern Art; Magic in art; History; RELIGION / Ancient; Supernatural in art; PERFORMING ARTS / Film & Video / History & Criticism
Description: "To what extent did mythological figures such as Circe and Medea influence the representation of the powerful 'oriental' enchantress in modern Western art? What role did the ancient gods and heroes play in the construction of the imaginary worlds of the modern fantasy genre? What is the role of undead creatures like zombies and vampires in mythological films? Looking across the millennia, from the distrust of ancient magic and oriental cults, which threatened the new-born Christian religion, to the revival and adaptation of ancient myths and religion in the arts centuries later, this book offers an original analysis of the reception of ancient magic and the supernatural, across a wide variety of different media--from comics to film, from painting to opera. Working in a variety of fields across the globe, the authors of these essays deconstruct certain scholarly traditions by proposing original interdisciplinary approaches and collaborations, showing to what extent the visual and performing arts of different periods interlink and shape cultural and social identities"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: 1. Magic and the Supernatural: an Introduction / I. Berti and F. Carla; title: 2. Gods and Demons in Texts : Figures and Symbols of the Defixion Inscriptions of the Nymphaeum of Anna Perenna at Rome / J. Blänsdorf; title: 3. Imaging Magic, Imaging Thinking : The Transmission of Greek Drama from Sophocles to Crimp / L. Hardwick; title: 4. Celtic Magic and Rituals in The War Lord (F. Schaffner, 1965) / D. Campanile; title: 5. Witch, Sorceress, Enchantress : Magic and Women from the Ancient World to the Present Time / G. Rocca and M. Treu; title: 6. Circe diva : The Reception of Circe in the Baroque Opera (17th Century) / M.J. Castillo Pascual; title: 7. Medea, a Greek Sorceress in Modern Opera and Ballet : from Barber to Reimann / M. Reig and J. Carruesco; title: 8. Colchian Pharmaka : The Colours of Medea in 19th Century Painting in France and England / A. Grand-Clement and C. Ribeyrol; title: 9. Canidia and Erichtho / C. Walde; title: 10. Project(ion) Wonder Woman : Metamorphoses of a Superheroine / M. Gindhart and A. Gietzen; title: 11. Ancient Horrors : Cinematic Antiquity and the Undead / M. Lindner; title: 12. The Phoenix, the Werewolf and the Centaur : The Reception of Mythical Beasts in the Harry Potter Novels and Their Film Adaptions / D. Hofmann; title: 13. Theoi becoming Kami : Classical Mythology in the Anime World / M.G. Castello and C. Scilabra; title: 14. Every Pony Has a Story : Revisions of Greco-Roman Mythology in My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic / Priscilla Hobbs; title: 15. The Depraved Devotion of Elagabalus : Images of the Priest-Emperor in the Visual and Performing Arts / M. Icks; title: 16. Women and Religion in the Epic Films : The Fifties' Advocate for Conversion and Today's Pillar of Paganism? / A. Wieber; title: List of Contributors.