Journal Articles by Vincent Tomasso
The Classical Journal, 2020
This article examines the different ways in which the Odyssey and the Telegony represent the rela... more This article examines the different ways in which the Odyssey and the Telegony represent the relationships between immortals and mortals-the immortality theme. They draw upon that common theme but inflect it in contrasting ways: whereas the Odyssey's protagonist rejects immortality and embraces mortality, the protagonist of the Telegony does the opposite. In the end, though, both of these poems critique immortality. Analysis of these poems' different inflections of the immortality theme provides insights into how themes could be used competitively in archaic Greek poetry as well as how the same theme operated similarly and differently in various traditions.
This article examines two multiform proems that introduced different interpretations of the Homer... more This article examines two multiform proems that introduced different interpretations of the Homeric 'Iliad'. Scholars have previously reasoned that rhapsodes used one of these proems. I further their observations by arguing that rhapsodes used both of them in competitive performance to put their own spins on the 'Iliad', a technique that increased their reputations and authority. In addition, by comparing the diction, meter, and content of the proems with the Homeric Iliad and archaic Greek epic more generally, I argue that the multiform proems interpret the relationship between immortals and mortals in different ways.
The American Pop artist Andy Warhol (1928–87) produced a series of colourful silkscreen prints in... more The American Pop artist Andy Warhol (1928–87) produced a series of colourful silkscreen prints in 1982 of a Roman-era bronze head of Alexander the Great. These prints were commissioned by Alexander Iolas (1907–87) to correspond with the blockbuster exhibition of ancient art and artefacts 'The Search for Alexander'. In this article we argue that Warhol’s vision of Alexander is postmodern because he encouraged his audience to receive Alexander’s identity from a multitude of viewpoints. We contrast the way that this head would have been understood in ancient times with the thinking about Warhol’s images in contemporary times. We note that there were many treatments of Alexander in popular culture, which meant that the American public was deeply engaged with questions about who this man was. By looking at the Alexander series this article contributes to an understanding of Warhol’s engagement with antiquity. Ultimately we interpret the print series using the history of nationalism, violence, and sexuality, emphasizing how in the postmodern era ancient ideas have been used for new purposes.
Book Chapters by Vincent Tomasso
Quintus Smyrna’s Posthomerica. Writing Homer Under Rome, 2022
This book chapter argues that the third-century CE epic poet Quintus of Smyrna intentionally craf... more This book chapter argues that the third-century CE epic poet Quintus of Smyrna intentionally crafted what I call a "polychromic intertextuality" in his Posthomerica. Even though Quintus' main sources are the Homeric epics, he mixes in vocabulary from a variety of time periods, from the eighth century B.C.E. through the third century C.E. This results in a reception that both acknowledges the past nature of Quintus' enterprise, making an epic that takes place between the Iliad and Odyssey, as well as the contemporary nature of what the poet is composing.
Brill's Companion to the Greek and Latin Epyllion and Its Reception, 2012
Classics and Comics, 2011
I look at the allusions to of the battle of Thermopylae in one narrative arc of the neo-noir comi... more I look at the allusions to of the battle of Thermopylae in one narrative arc of the neo-noir comic book 'Sin City'. As a paradigm for the hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned central protagonist of "The Big Fat Kill", Thermopylae is a good fit. However, it is ultimately discarded as being inappropriate to the exigencies of the modern world.
Screening Love and Sex in the Ancient World, 2013
I consider the problematic reception of ancient women by modern society. I take Gorgo, the queen ... more I consider the problematic reception of ancient women by modern society. I take Gorgo, the queen of Sparta in Zack Snyder’s film '300' (2007), as the principle case study. Snyder’s Gorgo is problematic, I argue, because her character partakes both of modern expectations about liberated women as well as ancient depictions of “liberated” Spartan women, value systems that contradict one another.
Classical Traditions in Science Fiction
This chapter examines the quotations of classical antiquity in the television series Battlestar G... more This chapter examines the quotations of classical antiquity in the television series Battlestar Galactica
(2004-2009), from religious systems to architecture. Classical antiquity is used to characterize the human civilization, which is constantly threatened with extinction by a civilization of machines. The conclusion of the series, in which the two civilizations come together to survive on a prehistoric Earth, seems to posit a jettisoning of the identity that had caused the conflict in the first place, including classics. Battlestar Galactica thus positions classical antiquity as integral to the human race but also something that must be abandoned if its future is to be secured.
Classical Myth on Screen, 2015
This chapter charts the motif of the deaths of the Greek gods, beginning with with the 1963 film ... more This chapter charts the motif of the deaths of the Greek gods, beginning with with the 1963 film 'Jason and the Argonauts' through the 2012 films 'Wrath of the Titans' and 'Immortals'. The ancient Greeks discussed this phenomenon very infrequently, and it certainly did not make it into the myths and narratives that have filtered into modern popular culture. I argue that this motif has arisen because of Christian-inflected thinking about the behavior of divinity and the resulting perception of fickleness among the Olympians. I conclude that modern films and television programs kill off the gods, not because antiquity is no longer relevant to the present, but because these texts desire to make a stronger connection between their modern audience and elements of the past.
Talks by Vincent Tomasso
I delivered this talk for University of South Florida's Classical Society and Foam Fighting Club ... more I delivered this talk for University of South Florida's Classical Society and Foam Fighting Club (FFC) in April 2016. In it, I paralleled the FFC's creation of fantasy battles with characters from a variety of cultures and time periods with the combination of styles to depict the fighting styles of Spartans and Persians in Zack Snyder's film '300.' To describe this phenomenon, I coined the word "achronistic" (as opposed to the pejorative "anachronistic.")
In this talk given at the University of Kentucky in April 2015 I illuminate the long reception hi... more In this talk given at the University of Kentucky in April 2015 I illuminate the long reception history of the figure of Hercules that culminates in Disney's 'Hercules' (1997). After examining how ancient pagan philosophers and ancient Christians re-figured Hercules to parallel their own understandings of the world, I turn to the Christian and American elements of 'Hercules.'
Reviews by Vincent Tomasso
This is a Bryn Mawr Classical Review of a book collecting essays about the concept of heroism in ... more This is a Bryn Mawr Classical Review of a book collecting essays about the concept of heroism in ancient Greek and Roman and modern cultures.
A Bryn Mawr Classical Review of a 2008 collection of essays on the third-century A.D. Greek epic ... more A Bryn Mawr Classical Review of a 2008 collection of essays on the third-century A.D. Greek epic poet Quintus of Smyrna (AKA Quintus Smyrnaeus).
The Classical Review, 2015
This is my review of Laura Miguélez-Cavero's commentary on the third-century AD short epic poem '... more This is my review of Laura Miguélez-Cavero's commentary on the third-century AD short epic poem 'The Sack of Troy' by the Greco-Egyptian poet Triphiodorus.
Popular Journalism by Vincent Tomasso
This is my report for Nerdist.com on the "Greek" on Wonder Woman's armor and sword in Zack Snyder... more This is my report for Nerdist.com on the "Greek" on Wonder Woman's armor and sword in Zack Snyder's 'Batman Versus Superman: Dawn of Justice.'
Nerdist.com also did a video segment incorporating my ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGotDB6ieeI
Books by Vincent Tomasso
Nostalgia for Homer in Greek Literature of the Roman Empire, 2024
This book investigates how versions of Trojan War narratives written in Greek in the first throug... more This book investigates how versions of Trojan War narratives written in Greek in the first through fifth centuries c.e. created nostalgia for audiences. In ancient education, the Iliad and the Odyssey were used as models through which students learned Greek language and literature. This, combined with the ruling elite's financial encouragement of recreations of the Greek past, created a culture of nostalgia. This book explores the different responses to this climate, particularly in the case of the third-century c.e. poet Quintus of Smyrna's epic Posthomerica. Positioning itself as a sequel to the Iliad and a prequel to the Odyssey, the Posthomerica is unique in its middle-of-the-road response to nostalgia for Homer's epics. This book contrasts Quintus' poem with other responses to nostalgia for Homeric narratives in Greek literature of the Roman Empire. Some works contradict pivotal events of the Iliad and Odyssey, such as the first-century orator Dio Chrysostom's Trojan Speech, which claims that the Trojan hero Hector did not in fact die, contrary to the Iliad's account. Others recreated Homeric narratives but did not contradict them, improvising some elements and adding others. Quintus strikes a compromise in his epic, re-imagining Homeric narrative by introducing new characters and scenarios, while at the same time retaining the Iliad and Odyssey's aesthetics.
Conference Presentations by Vincent Tomasso
Presentation at the annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, 2021
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Journal Articles by Vincent Tomasso
Book Chapters by Vincent Tomasso
(2004-2009), from religious systems to architecture. Classical antiquity is used to characterize the human civilization, which is constantly threatened with extinction by a civilization of machines. The conclusion of the series, in which the two civilizations come together to survive on a prehistoric Earth, seems to posit a jettisoning of the identity that had caused the conflict in the first place, including classics. Battlestar Galactica thus positions classical antiquity as integral to the human race but also something that must be abandoned if its future is to be secured.
Talks by Vincent Tomasso
Reviews by Vincent Tomasso
Popular Journalism by Vincent Tomasso
Nerdist.com also did a video segment incorporating my ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGotDB6ieeI
Books by Vincent Tomasso
Conference Presentations by Vincent Tomasso
(2004-2009), from religious systems to architecture. Classical antiquity is used to characterize the human civilization, which is constantly threatened with extinction by a civilization of machines. The conclusion of the series, in which the two civilizations come together to survive on a prehistoric Earth, seems to posit a jettisoning of the identity that had caused the conflict in the first place, including classics. Battlestar Galactica thus positions classical antiquity as integral to the human race but also something that must be abandoned if its future is to be secured.
Nerdist.com also did a video segment incorporating my ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGotDB6ieeI