The ancient story of a young girl who stood up to a powerful regime on behalf of moral principle and family loyalty has endured through the centuries. In this course, we compare the original Antigone of Sophocles, the 5th-century B.C. Athenian playwright, to the Antigone reimagined by Jean Anouilh, a 20th-century French existentialist writing during the Nazi occupation of France, and finally to the 21st-century Home Fire, a novel by Kamila Shamsie (2018 winner of the Woman's Prize for Fiction and long-listed for the Booker Prize). This powerful novel chronicles the fate of a Muslim family living in London whose young son goes off to join Jihadists in Pakistan and whose sister, Aneeka, attempts to rescue him. While the story Antigone has been refashioned to reflect modern realities, it retains its archetypal power as a parable of family love and loyalty confronting the terrifying powers of the state. The young woman, who dared to speak truth to power, remains a heroine for the ages. A timeless heroine—a very timely theme.
911.303.01 Homewood campus Wednesday, Oct. 30 to Dec. 11, 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. (no class Nov. 27) Cost: $210 (six sessions)
JHU full-time faculty/staff are eligible for 80% tuition remission; spouse for 50%. You will be unable to register online and receive the discount. Contact 410-516-8516 for more information.
