Classics and Comics: Ancient Culture and Modern Sequential Art

Course Description

ARC 204 analyzes the adaptation of ancient Greek and Roman literature and visual culture in modern comic books, graphic novels, and manga, with a specific focus on narratives of the Trojan War and its aftermath. Students read major works of classical literature such as The Odyssey and plays by Aeschylus and Euripides and examine their reception in subsequent periods, from the manuscripts of the middle ages to modern sequential art. Students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of sequential art and its analysis, and will examine the artistic processes involved in translating texts into visual narrative.