Sandra R. Joshel

Book of essays concerning ancient Rome in modern/popular culture. Many discuss the ways in which Rome is used to represent something modern, or as a backdrop for a modern idea. One article discusses various conflicts Rome is shown to produce (public/private, religion, politics); one discusses Spartacus as a representation of communism (mostly as a good thing, especially in the book), but toned down in the movie and shown indirectly in the sphere of family, due in large part to the period of American history in which it was made; one discusses I, Claudius as an imperial soap opera (that is, the story is mostly told within the family setting—military scenes from book are done away with; shows a (never complete) disintegration of family, like modern soap operas)—it allowed Americans to see themselves as similar to the Romans, but not quite as bad. Finally, there is an article about Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series, which emphasizes her treatment of family, women, and homosexuality, but also includes an interesting biography of the author.… (mehr)