This chapter discusses the aesthetics of the BBC’s 1979 production of Frederick Raphael and Kenne... more This chapter discusses the aesthetics of the BBC’s 1979 production of Frederick Raphael and Kenneth McLeish’s The Serpent Son, an adaptation of Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy, which critics at the time associated with science fiction. Certainly, the design of costumes, sets, props and lighting, together with the direction and camerawork, gave this trilogy a non-realist studio-bound visual style familiar to contemporary British television science fiction series, such as Doctor Who, Blake’s Seven and The Tomorrow People. By examining elements of the mise-en-scène, this chapter assesses whether this was a deliberate choice. It argues that, whilst the similarities are there, the aesthetic is as much the result of production methods employed at the time by the BBC, and general non-mimetic approaches to the production of Greek drama on screen, as it is any deliberate attempt to recall the science fiction genre. But the choice of a non-realist aesthetic for Greek tragedy is also a clear state...
In American superhero comics, there are few bigger names than Jack Kirby, who helped to make Marv... more In American superhero comics, there are few bigger names than Jack Kirby, who helped to make Marvel Comics famous. One of the earliest pieces of work he did for Marvel's predecessor, Timely, was Mercury in the 20th Century. The themes Kirby explores, particularly the clash of gods and their presence upon Earth, would recur throughout his later work. This paper will explore those, addressing the following areas: 1 Influences from earlier strips such as Superman and The Flash to be found in Mercury, and their relationship to Classical reception. 2 Mercury's anti-Nazism, in the context of the debate over American intervention in the Second World War. 3 Possible influence of Mercury upon other comics, such as Wonder Woman. 4 Recurrence of themes and visual motifs in Kirby's later work, in Captain America, X-Men, and especially Thor. 5 Kirby's use of Classical themes in the Fourth World books and Eternals.
This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman ... more This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman mythology and fan fiction that underlie this special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, arguing that the connections are not always as simple as they are sometimes made out to be.
Foreword to a special issue of Foundation (118) on Classics and Greece and Rome. This text restor... more Foreword to a special issue of Foundation (118) on Classics and Greece and Rome. This text restores cuts made for space considerations in the original publication.
Saving Private Ryan, for all the praise it received, is essentially false, but Band of Brothers i... more Saving Private Ryan, for all the praise it received, is essentially false, but Band of Brothers is not. First published in 2004. Slightly corrected here.
This short article intends to examine some issues relating to the emperor Claudius' apparentl... more This short article intends to examine some issues relating to the emperor Claudius' apparently strange decision in AD 49 to marry his niece Agrippina, and subsequently to advance her son Nero towards the imperial throne, at the expense of his own son Britannicus.
The Para-academic Handbook: A Toolkit for Making-Learning-Creating-Acting, 2014
Reclaiming is an adventure, both empirical and pragmatic, because it does not primarily mean taki... more Reclaiming is an adventure, both empirical and pragmatic, because it does not primarily mean taking back what was confiscated, but rather learning what it takes to inhabit again what was devastated. Reclaiming indeed associates irreducibly 'to heal' , 'to reappropriate' , 'to learn/teach again' , 'to struggle' , to 'become able to restore life where it was poisoned' , and it demands that we learn how to do it for each zone of devastation, each zone of the earth, of our collective practices and of our experience. 1
L'étude compare la réception du mythe ovidien de Pygmalion dans The Holy Machine de Chris Bec... more L'étude compare la réception du mythe ovidien de Pygmalion dans The Holy Machine de Chris Beckett et The Cosmology of the Wider World de Jeffrey Ford, en y ajoutant l'intertexte, comme dans toutes les fables modernes sur la vie artificielle, du Frankenstein de Mary Shelley, lui-même influencé par le mythe de Prométhée.
This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman ... more This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman mythology and fan fiction that underlie this special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, arguing that the connections are not always as simple as they are sometimes made out to be.
same thing in Doric and we are impressed. When Epicrates fr. 10.28–30 makes a character recount a... more same thing in Doric and we are impressed. When Epicrates fr. 10.28–30 makes a character recount a Sicilian doctor’s scorn for the Academic botanists, in the midst of an Attic the doctor is said to come , as in England we might say ‘frae bonnie Scotland’, his origin conferring the more authority on his drastically expressed contempt. Since our verse is an accusation against soothsayers, the use of the anapaestic tetrameter suggests an agôn between a doctor and a soothsayer, each calling the other a charlatan, in which no doubt the soothsayer, speaking in iambic tetrameters, gave at least as good as he got. Although several Attic comedies are known to have featured doctors and druggists;15 we do not know enough to suggest a candidate;16 nevertheless, I suggest that it is to Athens and not Sicily that we should look. Perhaps indeed there was a comic poet Aristoxenus from whom the line was quoted for its content and whom Hephaestion or his source confused with the Selinuntine mentioned by Epicharmus; alternatively, the quoting author (in whatever work or context) was Aristoxenus the Musician, whom an intermediate author conflated with the author quoted.17
A survey of some of the more famous portrayals of the Roman empire on screen. An introductory art... more A survey of some of the more famous portrayals of the Roman empire on screen. An introductory article, first written c. 2006, and spottily updated since then. Says little that isn't said better in other places by other people. Originally published in Banana Wings (edited by Mark Plummer and Claire Brialey) 29 (February 2007), pp. 16-21, and 30 (May 2007), 12-16. Current version: 2014, with corrections in 2018.
Hollywood produced two major Arthurian movies in the mid-2000s, King Arthur (Antoine Fuqua, 2004)... more Hollywood produced two major Arthurian movies in the mid-2000s, King Arthur (Antoine Fuqua, 2004) and The Last Legion (Doug Lefler, 2007), even though the latter only introduces Arthur in the final scene. Both choose to place their narratives within the 'historical Arthur' genre, rejecting the quasi-mediaeval setting used by Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981), and later the TV series Merlin (UK, 2008-present), and instead placing the story in the context of the end of Roman Britain and the collapse of Roman rule in the west. They thus come within the interests of this conference. This paper is concerned with the ways in which the two movies characterise post-Roman Britain, and in particular, how they use the casting of their lead actor to underline their respective characterizations. King Arthur presents a soldier's-eye view of the world, and is largely anti-authority (in the shape of the Pope's representative Germanus). Arthur is a man whose first loyalty is to his men;...
This essay aims to look at how invasion narratives, stories concerned with the invasion of Britai... more This essay aims to look at how invasion narratives, stories concerned with the invasion of Britain from outside, shaped three British science fiction series, and how those series interrogated the narratives. The series will primarily be examined through aesthetic and social approaches. Particular areas to be explored include the embracing and subverting of common assumptions about Britain's attitude to invasion, and the differing attitudes to the military displayed.
In June 2016 the classical team at the Humanities department at the University of Roehampton held... more In June 2016 the classical team at the Humanities department at the University of Roehampton held a day of students presenting their research. That may not, in itself, seem very noteworthy. But what was distinctive about it is that the day involved not just postgraduates, but also undergraduates. Nor was this just students talking about their final-year dissertations – there were also a number of contributions by second-year students who had done particularly well in their assignments for various modules. We have brought together this collection of perspectives on the day, in the hope that this might spur other departments to consider Roehampton’s example.
By Tony Keen with Constantine Christoforou, Susan Deacy, Mike Edwards, Olivia Huntingdon-Stuart and Cameron Withering Pearce
This chapter discusses the aesthetics of the BBC’s 1979 production of Frederick Raphael and Kenne... more This chapter discusses the aesthetics of the BBC’s 1979 production of Frederick Raphael and Kenneth McLeish’s The Serpent Son, an adaptation of Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy, which critics at the time associated with science fiction. Certainly, the design of costumes, sets, props and lighting, together with the direction and camerawork, gave this trilogy a non-realist studio-bound visual style familiar to contemporary British television science fiction series, such as Doctor Who, Blake’s Seven and The Tomorrow People. By examining elements of the mise-en-scène, this chapter assesses whether this was a deliberate choice. It argues that, whilst the similarities are there, the aesthetic is as much the result of production methods employed at the time by the BBC, and general non-mimetic approaches to the production of Greek drama on screen, as it is any deliberate attempt to recall the science fiction genre. But the choice of a non-realist aesthetic for Greek tragedy is also a clear state...
In American superhero comics, there are few bigger names than Jack Kirby, who helped to make Marv... more In American superhero comics, there are few bigger names than Jack Kirby, who helped to make Marvel Comics famous. One of the earliest pieces of work he did for Marvel's predecessor, Timely, was Mercury in the 20th Century. The themes Kirby explores, particularly the clash of gods and their presence upon Earth, would recur throughout his later work. This paper will explore those, addressing the following areas: 1 Influences from earlier strips such as Superman and The Flash to be found in Mercury, and their relationship to Classical reception. 2 Mercury's anti-Nazism, in the context of the debate over American intervention in the Second World War. 3 Possible influence of Mercury upon other comics, such as Wonder Woman. 4 Recurrence of themes and visual motifs in Kirby's later work, in Captain America, X-Men, and especially Thor. 5 Kirby's use of Classical themes in the Fourth World books and Eternals.
This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman ... more This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman mythology and fan fiction that underlie this special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, arguing that the connections are not always as simple as they are sometimes made out to be.
Foreword to a special issue of Foundation (118) on Classics and Greece and Rome. This text restor... more Foreword to a special issue of Foundation (118) on Classics and Greece and Rome. This text restores cuts made for space considerations in the original publication.
Saving Private Ryan, for all the praise it received, is essentially false, but Band of Brothers i... more Saving Private Ryan, for all the praise it received, is essentially false, but Band of Brothers is not. First published in 2004. Slightly corrected here.
This short article intends to examine some issues relating to the emperor Claudius' apparentl... more This short article intends to examine some issues relating to the emperor Claudius' apparently strange decision in AD 49 to marry his niece Agrippina, and subsequently to advance her son Nero towards the imperial throne, at the expense of his own son Britannicus.
The Para-academic Handbook: A Toolkit for Making-Learning-Creating-Acting, 2014
Reclaiming is an adventure, both empirical and pragmatic, because it does not primarily mean taki... more Reclaiming is an adventure, both empirical and pragmatic, because it does not primarily mean taking back what was confiscated, but rather learning what it takes to inhabit again what was devastated. Reclaiming indeed associates irreducibly 'to heal' , 'to reappropriate' , 'to learn/teach again' , 'to struggle' , to 'become able to restore life where it was poisoned' , and it demands that we learn how to do it for each zone of devastation, each zone of the earth, of our collective practices and of our experience. 1
L'étude compare la réception du mythe ovidien de Pygmalion dans The Holy Machine de Chris Bec... more L'étude compare la réception du mythe ovidien de Pygmalion dans The Holy Machine de Chris Beckett et The Cosmology of the Wider World de Jeffrey Ford, en y ajoutant l'intertexte, comme dans toutes les fables modernes sur la vie artificielle, du Frankenstein de Mary Shelley, lui-même influencé par le mythe de Prométhée.
This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman ... more This short piece addresses some of the assumptions about the connections between Greek and Roman mythology and fan fiction that underlie this special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, arguing that the connections are not always as simple as they are sometimes made out to be.
same thing in Doric and we are impressed. When Epicrates fr. 10.28–30 makes a character recount a... more same thing in Doric and we are impressed. When Epicrates fr. 10.28–30 makes a character recount a Sicilian doctor’s scorn for the Academic botanists, in the midst of an Attic the doctor is said to come , as in England we might say ‘frae bonnie Scotland’, his origin conferring the more authority on his drastically expressed contempt. Since our verse is an accusation against soothsayers, the use of the anapaestic tetrameter suggests an agôn between a doctor and a soothsayer, each calling the other a charlatan, in which no doubt the soothsayer, speaking in iambic tetrameters, gave at least as good as he got. Although several Attic comedies are known to have featured doctors and druggists;15 we do not know enough to suggest a candidate;16 nevertheless, I suggest that it is to Athens and not Sicily that we should look. Perhaps indeed there was a comic poet Aristoxenus from whom the line was quoted for its content and whom Hephaestion or his source confused with the Selinuntine mentioned by Epicharmus; alternatively, the quoting author (in whatever work or context) was Aristoxenus the Musician, whom an intermediate author conflated with the author quoted.17
A survey of some of the more famous portrayals of the Roman empire on screen. An introductory art... more A survey of some of the more famous portrayals of the Roman empire on screen. An introductory article, first written c. 2006, and spottily updated since then. Says little that isn't said better in other places by other people. Originally published in Banana Wings (edited by Mark Plummer and Claire Brialey) 29 (February 2007), pp. 16-21, and 30 (May 2007), 12-16. Current version: 2014, with corrections in 2018.
Hollywood produced two major Arthurian movies in the mid-2000s, King Arthur (Antoine Fuqua, 2004)... more Hollywood produced two major Arthurian movies in the mid-2000s, King Arthur (Antoine Fuqua, 2004) and The Last Legion (Doug Lefler, 2007), even though the latter only introduces Arthur in the final scene. Both choose to place their narratives within the 'historical Arthur' genre, rejecting the quasi-mediaeval setting used by Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981), and later the TV series Merlin (UK, 2008-present), and instead placing the story in the context of the end of Roman Britain and the collapse of Roman rule in the west. They thus come within the interests of this conference. This paper is concerned with the ways in which the two movies characterise post-Roman Britain, and in particular, how they use the casting of their lead actor to underline their respective characterizations. King Arthur presents a soldier's-eye view of the world, and is largely anti-authority (in the shape of the Pope's representative Germanus). Arthur is a man whose first loyalty is to his men;...
This essay aims to look at how invasion narratives, stories concerned with the invasion of Britai... more This essay aims to look at how invasion narratives, stories concerned with the invasion of Britain from outside, shaped three British science fiction series, and how those series interrogated the narratives. The series will primarily be examined through aesthetic and social approaches. Particular areas to be explored include the embracing and subverting of common assumptions about Britain's attitude to invasion, and the differing attitudes to the military displayed.
In June 2016 the classical team at the Humanities department at the University of Roehampton held... more In June 2016 the classical team at the Humanities department at the University of Roehampton held a day of students presenting their research. That may not, in itself, seem very noteworthy. But what was distinctive about it is that the day involved not just postgraduates, but also undergraduates. Nor was this just students talking about their final-year dissertations – there were also a number of contributions by second-year students who had done particularly well in their assignments for various modules. We have brought together this collection of perspectives on the day, in the hope that this might spur other departments to consider Roehampton’s example.
By Tony Keen with Constantine Christoforou, Susan Deacy, Mike Edwards, Olivia Huntingdon-Stuart and Cameron Withering Pearce
Uploads
Papers by Tony Keen
By Tony Keen with Constantine Christoforou, Susan Deacy, Mike Edwards, Olivia Huntingdon-Stuart and Cameron Withering Pearce
In CUCD Bulletin 45 (2016)
By Tony Keen with Constantine Christoforou, Susan Deacy, Mike Edwards, Olivia Huntingdon-Stuart and Cameron Withering Pearce
In CUCD Bulletin 45 (2016)