Alma Parens Originalis?

Book excerpt: This original collection of articles, derived in part from the papers presented at the twenty-sixth biennial conference of the Classical Association of South Africa held at Durban and Pietermaritzburg 5-7 July 2005, explores a wide range of receptions of Classical ideas in the fiction, drama, poetry, history, opera, and popular culture of a number of countries from South Africa to Cuba. There is a strong emphasis on the use of Greek and Roman tragedy, especially Aeschylus Seven against Thebes, the Electra plays of Sophocles and Euripides, various reworkings of the figures of Antigone and Medea, and the dramatic style of Seneca, but the compendium also includes chapters on Platonism, Horatian Satire, Mythology, Roman Civilization, Roman Historiography, and Greek erotic spells. Chronologically, the scope of reception extends from the contemporary (the problem of HIV/AIDS in South Africa), to the twentieth century (Soyinka, Walcott, Forster, Seth, Campbell), and the Renaissance (Daniel Heinsius). The book illustrates the depth, diversity, and complexity of the interconnections between the Classical past and the present. It provides a refreshingly different perspective on a vitally important and vibrant field of research.