The myths of Graeco-Latin antiquity, a timeless and universal symbolic language, constitute a cultural heritage that is incessantly recovered, questioned, dismantled, and reworked. In permanent dialogue with different societies, these myths (re)acquire multiple meanings, according to different contexts, experiences, sensitivities, and purposes.
If the essential core of traditional stories is preserved to the point where they are recognisable, as Aristotle notes in Poetics 1453b 24-25, the Stagirite already predicted a creative approach to these legends in the 4th century BC.
This Complementary Project is centred on the research and exploration of connections between classical myths and their reception in today's world, more or less mediated by intermediate versions. A particular emphasis is given to literature, dramatic production, and the visual arts, as well as their authors who take up the heritage of yesteryear to ‘tell’ the present.
The project aims to research what type of access to Graeco-Latin myths exists in modern times, identify the formal diversity of influences, consider new contexts for stories and their renewed meanings, and understand different aesthetics for dealing with ancient themes. Rewriting Myth also seeks to establish interrelationships between coeval authors and directors, and to explore the impact of (re)told legends on modern audiences.
The project also recognises the importance of comprehending how legends are (re)told for today's audiences.
The growing importance of reception studies in Modernity encourages the inclusion of Ibero-America (especially Portugal) in the international work undertaken in this area, favouring the establishment of networks and comparative analyses.