On Friday, April 25, the inaugural Arts and Science Lecture in Classics was delivered by Prof. Emily Greenwood of Harvard University. This newly-established lecture series (generously supported by the Faculty of Arts and Science) invites prominent classicists, as well as leaders in the creative arts and public life who have derived inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome, to speak about their thought and work. The series aims to promote the study of Greco-Roman antiquity by showcasing exciting and innovative work within the field and by demonstrating the continued relevance of classics for thinking through issues of contemporary concern.
Professor Greenwood’s lecture, “Odysseus at the Bag Check: Greek Myth and Immigration in Contemporary Poetry,” examined how contemporary poets (including Anthony V. Capildeo and Monica Youn) use the myth of Odysseus as a “container” for immigrant and refugee experience. Setting ancient and modern texts in a mutually-illuminating dialogue on questions of exile and identity, this lecture showed the value of classical antiquity as an “archive of meaning-making” and a resource for imagining alternative histories and identities. It was the perfect kickoff to this new series.
Some 80 audience members from across the university and beyond gathered in the beautiful upper library at Massey College for the lecture and the reception that followed.
