Description
The hero’s journey is one of the most popular narrative patterns in storytelling, constituting a particular bridge between classical mythology and modern fantasy. One of the most captivating and poignant parts of the journey is none other than the descent to the underworld. Since the beginning of time, countless heroes have come and gone, but the underworld stays the same. Or does it . . .? From among the long tradition of classical texts that first helped bring the underworld to life, Virgil’s can be praised for providing some of the most detailed descriptions, as both Orpheus’ descent in Book 4 of the Georgics and Aeneas’s journey in Book 6 of the Aeneid constitute key pillars of the imagery of the Underworld we know today. Likewise, modern fantasy texts that represent this supernatural land continue to inform our perception of it. And while classical texts may have fallen into disuse, retellings of classical myths have found great success. From which, Rick Riordan’s series based on Greek and Roman myth, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and its spin-off Heroes of Olympus, can be highlighted as some of the most popular. As such, this study will look at how the two authors choose to represent the kingdom of the dead with the goal of understanding what the different portrayals can tell us about classical mythology, modern fantasy, their relationship and how they help shape our notions of hell and heroism| Period | 6 Aug 2023 |
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| Event title | The Mythopoeic Society’s Online Midsummer Seminar |
| Event type | Seminar |
| Conference number | 2 |
| Degree of Recognition | International |