Lorna Hardwick Introduction to Reception Studies

All material is subject to copyright.
Digital Copy made under CLA license allowing access, download, and print for registered students only.
Unauthorized copying, storage, or distribution prohibited.
Material can be kept after course for personal use only.

Date: 30th January 1943
Event: Goering's radio broadcast to the Sixth Army at Stalingrad.
- Content: Compared the German army's struggle to Spartan soldiers at Thermopylae in 480 BCE, emphasizing heroism against "barbarians" (Persians).
- Reception: Negative; soldiers described it as "our own Funeral Speech".
  - Officers ironically compared it to the siege at Masada (73/74 CE).

Demonstrates how classical texts and ideas are received and interpreted in modern contexts.
The broadcast serves as a model to sanction behavioral expectations, while counter-texts challenge authority rhetoric.

Translation & Staging: Edwin Morgan’s translation into Scots presented a cultural commentary.
- Objective: Explore elements of the story transcending linguistic barriers, engaging with Greek traditions.
Function of Reception Studies: Analyze linguistic, theatrical, and contextual migrations of classical stories.

Each classical reception has its own history and demands appropriate investigative methods.
The aim of this book: Outline current reception studies' main features and significant modern developments.

Historical Overview: Reception studies are a relatively new discipline, distinct from traditional classical studies emphasizing linear influence.
German Scholarship Influence: Previously known as Rezeptionsgeschichte or Nachlebung (afterlife).
- Significant Shift: Moving from the idea of a static 'legacy' of classical culture.
Shift in focus towards a more dynamic interplay between ancient texts and their adaptations across cultures and time.

Previous studies emphasized dead classical culture as influential solely through legacy.
Recent research prioritizes understanding the appropriation process and value generation from classical culture.
Diverse aspects of ancient culture now recognized, allowing for contemporary relevance and creative reinterpretation.

Exploration of ancient texts must recognize the historical and social contexts that informed their appropriation.
Concern over 'guilt by association': e.g., exploiting ancient Greek and Roman values to justify modern ideologies.
Critical evaluation of how ancient practices are appropriated by modern political and cultural movements.

Focus on the dialogue between source text and receiving culture.
Key Considerations:
- The artistic or intellectual processes of reception.
- Context in which reception occurs, including audience perception.
- Function of the new work (e.g., legitimization of authority).

Recognition that describing receptions involves the use of varying categories and frameworks, influenced by contemporary knowledge and theory.
Factors influencing the focus of reception studies include modern cultural theory, political changes, and artistic adaptations.

Aesthetics of Reception (Hans Robert Jauss):
- Art's historical character is shaped by its interaction with audiences.
- Introduces the concept of a "horizon of expectation" defining interpretations based on historical context.
Reader-Response Theory (Wolfgang Iser):
- Meaning in a text results from interactions between ‘actual’ and ‘implied’ readers, with focus on audience interpretation.
Historical Contextualism (Hans-Georg Gadamer):
- Suggests meaning is constructed and shaped by historical reception, emphasizing the importance of historical context in analysis.
Critical Distance:
- Examines the differences in time and culture to highlight variances in interpretation, potentially offering new perspectives on classical texts.

Perceptions of the Ancient World: Receptions impact judgments about ancient material; thus, analyzing them is necessary.
Integrative Approach: Reception within antiquity is relevant to modern interpretations.
Source and Context Analysis: Close examination of both texts and cultural contexts.
Cultural Horizons Concept: Frames cultural assumptions relative to classical sources.
Commonalities and Differences: Reception studies reveal both shared cultural themes and distinctions over time.
Cultural Continuity and Change: Reception serves as an indicator of changes in society's values.
Values and Knowledge: Reception studies involve contested territories regarding societal values.

Focus will primarily be on widely available materials that promote critical engagement.
Art forms like film will receive detailed consideration due to their relevance in contemporary cultural discourse and issues concerning classical reception.