Mythology for fun – the reception of antiquity in contemporary pop culture 3700-CS-MNW

Who was Hercules? A symbol of what Medea is? How will Apollo manage in the 21st
century? The answers to the seemingly obvious questions are not so easy anymore.
The classes are supposed to show students that modernity can give new life to famous
characters and mythological motifs, which can surprise everyone.
During the classes, which will have the character of a seminar, during the discussion
will be discussed examples of antiquity reception, which can be found in films and
series, walking around the city, toys and computer games, as well as in literature for
children and young people. Contemporary man spends most of his free time on
communing with pop culture products, and what can be achieved by such and not
other use as if it seems that well-known motifs from Greek or Roman mythology will
be analyzed in detail during the classes.
During the classes, the following works of contemporary artists will be discussed and
analyzed:
 mythology for children and youth (myths in Jadwiga Żylińska's books and
others);
 myths in comic-like productions
 mythology in toy books (mythological motifs in such books as: “Pierre the
Maze Detective” by Hiro Kamigaki, Chihiro Maruyama; “Where's Wally?” by
Martin Handford and others).
 mythology in animation for children and youth (Disney production, USSR
animated film series and others);
 mythology in youth novels (Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, “Percy
Jackson & the Olympians”, “The Heroes of Olympus”, “The Trials of Apollo” by
R. Riordan, “His Dark Materials” by P. Pulman and others);
 myths and Antiquities in films and TV series (“Hercules” by B. Rayner (2014),
“The legend of Hercules” by R. Harlin (2014), “Once Upon a Time” by E. Kitsis
and A. Horowitz (2016) and others);
 mythology in computer games ("God of War", "Assassin" and others);
 mythological motifs in contemporary artistic works (sculpture, painting).