Reception and Application in Classical Studies
Reese Waters III was a third year student in the School of Classics, when he wrote this piece. He was taking a new Honours module entitled ‘Classics in the Modern World: interventions and applications’, which explores how we can draw on our study of Greco-Roman antiquity to help address contemporary issues like ‘fake news’, anti-immigration narratives, misogyny, racism and even climate change. In this blog, he distinguishes between ‘Classical Reception’ and ‘Applied Classics’ and argues that the cornerstone of successful ‘Applied Classics’ projects is critical reception of ancient material.
While studying ‘Classics and the Modern World’, I have come to see modern responses to Classics as falling into two overlapping but different categories: reception and application. By ‘reception’, I mean how the classical world gets internalized by modern society; and by ‘application’, I mean how these ideas are then externalized and used to impact society. Classical reception forms the foundation that Classical applications are built on because information about the ancient world cannot be used positively unless it is carefully understood. Ancient civilizations cannot defend themselves when sources are misinterpreted so the responsibility falls upon those receiving the ancient sources to do so critically.
In her Eidolon article, Johanna Hanink explains that acknowledging the inherent biases with which we inevitably respond to the ancient world is crucial to ethical applications of Classics. Although distantly separated from modern society, the ancient world does not exist in a historical vacuum but is rather a conglomeration of past perspectives, stretching from how we view the ancient world now back to the how the ancients viewed themselves. Mary Beard articulates this point in Confronting the Classics, when she describes Classics as the study of what happens in the gap between antiquity and the present. Studying the ancient world has long been a source of discovery and wonder for people throughout history. Unfortunately, however, this sense of intrigue has at times perpetuated elitism and social injustice. In Classics: Why it Matters, Neville Morley underlines the significant role that engagement with the Classics has played in the development of Western culture. As a result, it is crucial to acknowledge that our understanding of Classics is shaped in part by the elitism and eurocentrism lurking within scholarship. Although it is often tempting to avoid discussing the unfortunate dark side of Classics, failing to recognize the effect that these influences have had on the field is far worse.
This critical method of receiving classics is crucial to ‘Applied Classics’. Methodologies in applying classics can vary significantly depending on the project, but ultimately their success depends on a few aspects. First and foremost, Critical reception is essential to ensure that the information being presented is done so with nuance and awareness of the biases embedded within. Second, the information must be presented in a way that engages the viewer. Third, Classical application has to provide something useful. Ethically sound applications of Classics use these aspects to affect positive change in society. Take the NMT Automatics theatre company as an example. NMT Automatics carefully research the ancient material they use, ensuring that scholarship is not misappropriated. They perform their plays in a way which engages the viewer, and their performances provide something useful by helping viewers find a deeper understanding of human relationships through exploring Classical themes.
While many people use these methods to ‘apply’ Classics constructively, others like the Alt-Right manosphere, described by Donna Zuckerberg in her book Not All Dead White Men, weaponize classics to support misogyny and racism. Often at the heart of these misappropriations is a lack of critical reception leading to the promotion of views that are harmful to society. For example, ‘pick up artists’ like Roosh V who seek to apply Classical texts like Ovid’s Ars Amatoria to teach men how to seduce women, fail to read Classical texts in all their nuance, and identify negative aspects of ancient society as something to emulate rather than something to tackle. These misuses damage the positive value of ancient material and are harmful to both the study of Classics and society. As a result, critical Classical reception is the cornerstone of applying Classics in the modern world. Applying Classics necessitates simplification to engage the viewer and increase the scope of who can receive information. As a result, people applying Classics must do so responsibly by carefully questioning the interpretations which they are presenting and the impact which their project will create.
Bibliography
Beard, M., 2014. Confronting the classics: traditions, adventures and innovations, London: Profile Books.
Hanink, J., 2017. It’s Time to Embrace Critical Classical Reception. Medium. Available at: https://eidolon.pub/its-time-to-embrace-critical-classical-reception-d3491a40eec3 [Accessed February 17, 2021].
Morley, N., 2018. Classics: why it matters, Cambridge: Polity press.
Nomanstime, 2020. NMT Automatics. Available at: https://nmtautomatics.com/ [Accessed February 19, 2021].
Zuckerberg, D., 2019. Not all dead white men classics and misogyny in the digital age, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
(Originally published on the School of Classics blog, 7 April 2021)