Description
Spartacus, the Thracian gladiator turned rebel leader, endures as a near-mythic hero who fought for the oppressed against a Roman oligarchy built on the backs of slave labour. The image of Spartacus as a noble if doomed avenger is familiar and his story has been retold through history as a cautionary tale about social injustice.
The series Spartacus takes a different view, with a graphically violent depiction of the man and his times and a focus on the archetype of the gladiator--the physically powerful, courageous and righteous man. This collection of new essays studies the series as an exploration of masculinity. In the world of Spartacus, men jockey for social position, question the nature of their lives, examine their relationships with women and with each other, and their roles in society and the universe. As an adaptation, the series also offers a compelling study in the composite nature of historical narrative in television and film, where key facts from original sources are seamlessly interwoven with period embellishments, presenting audiences with authentic history beside fiction that may as well be.
About the Author
Award-winning novelist Michael G. Cornelius is the author or editor of numerous books. He serves as chair of the department of English and Mass Communications at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
Reviews
"Provides 11 original essays on the 2010-2013 Starz cable network series. The focus is on a gladiator who leads a rebellion against Rome in 73 to 71 BCE...assess[es] the characters and story lines from a variety of points of view"-Communication Booknotes Quarterly; "explores the topic of masculinity in Spartacus...also addresses is the complex relationship between fiction and history in television narrative"-ProtoView.
Book Information
ISBN 9780786498017
Author Michael G. Cornelius
Format Paperback
Page Count 220
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
The series Spartacus takes a different view, with a graphically violent depiction of the man and his times and a focus on the archetype of the gladiator--the physically powerful, courageous and righteous man. This collection of new essays studies the series as an exploration of masculinity. In the world of Spartacus, men jockey for social position, question the nature of their lives, examine their relationships with women and with each other, and their roles in society and the universe. As an adaptation, the series also offers a compelling study in the composite nature of historical narrative in television and film, where key facts from original sources are seamlessly interwoven with period embellishments, presenting audiences with authentic history beside fiction that may as well be.
About the Author
Award-winning novelist Michael G. Cornelius is the author or editor of numerous books. He serves as chair of the department of English and Mass Communications at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
Reviews
"Provides 11 original essays on the 2010-2013 Starz cable network series. The focus is on a gladiator who leads a rebellion against Rome in 73 to 71 BCE...assess[es] the characters and story lines from a variety of points of view"-Communication Booknotes Quarterly; "explores the topic of masculinity in Spartacus...also addresses is the complex relationship between fiction and history in television narrative"-ProtoView.
Book Information
ISBN 9780786498017
Author Michael G. Cornelius
Format Paperback
Page Count 220
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
