On March 5, students, faculty and community members gathered in person at Kimball Theater and online via a Zoom video chat for a lecture on witches in Classical literature by author Madeline Miller. Miller, whose works include “The Song of Achilles” and “Circe,” is known for her retellings of Classical Greek myths with character-building and insight into characters like Achilles, Patroclus and Circe. In her lecture, Miller presented her process and personal research in writing “Circe,” with a focus on the ways that witches are presented in ancient myths and academic analyses.
Students also had the opportunity to pose their own questions to the author, which ranged from discussing her preparatory research for “Circe” to her upcoming works.
Mona Evans, a sophomore Classics minor and co-president of the Classics Club, asked Miller about the Epic Cycle, a series of ancient stories including “The Odyssey,” “The Iliad” and a fragmented book — “The Telegony” — which Miller used in her research.
“I had heard of Miller in my classes and because of my enjoyment of retellings, but I had never read her books before this,” Evans said. “I decided to [read them] once I was aware that she was coming to talk.”
For Evans, speaking to Miller during the lecture was a chance to confirm her own research and curiosities after reading “Circe.” As a student and avid enjoyer of Classics, Evans engages with a wide scope of ancient literature, but seldom gets the chance to speak with their ancient authors.
“To me, it meant a lot because even though she is not my favorite author it does not matter, because I’ve never had the chance to meet an author and get to question her,” Evans said.
Kate Shea, Chair of the Classics Department and Professor of Environmental Humanities, echoed this idea, and emphasized the lecture as a unique experience for Classics students who introduced her to Miller’s books.
“[In class] I’m bringing a scholar, and often the students don’t know who that scholar is, and I’m introducing them. I really wanted to reverse that, and I wanted to bring someone that I was hearing from the students was worth our attention, that it was worth reading her work,” Shea said.
At the same time, the lecture also catered to students from other departments, who were either interested in Miller’s works or ancient Greek and Roman mythology in general.
“We’re trying to reach out further to other departments to bring in speakers that serve not just the Classics department, but [are] serving classes across the campus, and we’re really interested in speakers that are connected to classes that are being taught on campus,” Shea said.
The lecture was funded through the Judd D. Kimball Endowment, a fund that aims to bring speakers and guest lecturers to campus to discuss Classics while sharing a social justice aspect of classical studies. The social justice aspect of this fund inspired Shea to think of authors and speakers who could present a topic that may appeal to students from various disciplines — from Classics to political science.
Sarah Earing, a Music major with an interest in Greek retellings, was one of many students at Miller’s lecture. Although she does not normally encounter Greek myths in her own coursework, she found the lecture intriguing as a long-time fan of Miller’s books.
“Madeline Miller is one of my favorite authors, I love retellings of Greek mythology and was like, ‘well, I’m not going to miss that one!’” Earing said.
For Earing, the lecture offered her a chance to indulge in her interests, which she can’t always fit into a course schedule.
“I’ve looked at [the Classics department’s] classes, and they sound really interesting, but then things conflict inevitably,” Earing said.
Despite this, Earing continues to nurture her interest in Greek myths and their retellings and expressed her gratitude for the chance to listen to a favorite author speak to campus.
“I think she’s a very engaging author, which I enjoy. I also think she cares a lot about the material in a way that shows a lot, it feels very real,” Earing said.
Miller’s lecture last week opened avenues for both Classics students and others to explore their interest in Greek and Roman mythology. This lecture will not be the only opportunity for students to dabble in Classical storytelling and social change. Next month, the Judd D. Kimball Endowment lecture series will also bring in speakers on April 1 and 14, and the Classics Club invites students of all disciplines to attend their meetings every other Thursday.
