Table of Contents
- In Memoriam
- Feature Stories: 杏吧原创 Students Abroad
- Beer’s Blog
- Joy鈥檚 Bookcase and Book Reviews
- News
- A Final Word of Thanks
Welcome
Dear Friends of Greek and Roman Studies,
I would like to begin this 2018 edition of the Newsletter in memory of a former student. Josh writes eloquently about Mimi Rush, whom some of you may remember from a few years ago, along with her classmates Rose Marie Amott and Margaret Campbell.
In Memoriam
Mimi Rush: Requiescas in Pace,聽by Josh Beer
It was with sadness and a deep appreciation of her life and achievement that I read the obituary of 鈥淢imi鈥� Rush in the聽Ottawa Citizen on February 23. Mimi was 84. In 1999 she graduated from 杏吧原创 with Highest Honours in Greek and Latin. Mimi was born in Indonesia to Dutch school teachers, but she was of a generation whose lives were violently disrupted by World War II. When the Japanese invaded and occupied Indonesia, Mimi became a refugee and was evacuated to Australia. It was only after the war that her family was reunited with their father in the Netherlands. In those days Latin and to a lesser extent Greek still formed a central part of the European high school curriculum. In high school Mimi had her first taste of the classical languages. University places however were very few and far between at the time, 聽especially for women, so there was no possibility of her going on to post-secondary education.聽 Later she met Stephen Rush, an expatriate Ukrainian, and she emigrated to Canada in 1955 to marry him. With so many disruptions in her early life it was only in a Canada she loved greatly that Mimi finally found a stable life.聽 She trained as a nurse and then raised three girls before taking work in a supermarket.
Hermina (Mimi) Rush N茅e Huis In鈥檛 Veld,聽May 18, 1933 – February 7, 2018
It must have been in the early to mid 1990s that Mimi first started to take Latin and Greek courses at 杏吧原创. She did not need foundation courses in the languages even though it was the better part of 35-40 years since she had last taken them. Her philological expertise was still very much in evidence. I best remember her when she and two other mature women were in a 4thyear Greek class with me. Professor Michael Welsh had endearingly called them the three Graces (Greek Charites) 鈥� something that no doubt would be considered politically incorrect these days. The three Graces in myth were beautiful women who accompanied the Muses.
Like Mimi, Rose Marie Amott was very accomplished in the classical languages and, although they were friends, I sensed there was a slight rivalry between them, but I鈥檓 damned if I could have separated the two of them academically. It was only a week ago I was trying to track down Rose Marie to put her on the FGRS newsletter mailing list. I think I鈥檓 halfway there. After her husband died, Rosemary moved out to BC.
Margaret Campbell was no less interesting 鈥� I taught 3 generations of her family, beginning with her son and ending a few years ago with her grandson who I don鈥檛 think was very impressed with me. Margaret had graduated as a medical doctor some years after WW II at the University of Edinburgh but had never practised medicine when she emigrated to Canada. She had taken several CLCV courses and decided in her 鈥�60s that she had to learn Greek. I think it was her road to Damascus moment. She was married to a Psychology Prof. whom I knew quite well. One day he came into the Faculty Club and said: 鈥淕od damn you, Josh Beer. You鈥檙e ruining my life鈥� or words to that effect! 鈥淚 can鈥檛 go into the bathroom, the kitchen or up the stairs without seeing Greek verbs scribbled over all the walls.鈥� If Margaret is still alive, she is in a nursing home near Toronto.
What a pleasure and a privilege to teach three such committed students and wonderful people. I remember that one term I was teaching them Homer and, after we had read a couple of books, there was still 3 or 4 weeks of term left, and they asked if perhaps we could read some Hesiod. I decided instead that we would read the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. They were delighted since they were all avid Greek myth fans.
In one class Mimi rushed in at the last moment and apologized. She had been working at Loblaws, the first I had heard of this. So I asked her at which Loblaws. 鈥淭he big new one in the west end,鈥� she said. I at once asked, 鈥淒o they sell John West鈥檚 Kipper Fillets by any chance? They seemed to have disappeared from the downtown stores.鈥� 鈥淵es, I think so,鈥� she replied. 鈥淐an you get me some, if I pay you?鈥� 鈥淗ow many would you like?鈥� 鈥淎s many as you can get.鈥� The following week she delivered 12 cans. I was over the moon with happiness. Thank you so much, Mimi. You were always a joy to teach, and I hope that what I have written is a small token of my respect. Requiescas in pace.
Feature Stories: 杏吧原创 Students Abroad
In putting together material for this 2018 edition of the Newsletter, I seem to have been carried away by thoughts of traveling to those 鈥渁ntique鈥� lands of Greece and Italy.聽 I have not been anywhere near them myself in quite a few years but I delight in knowing that our students are eager to see first hand the places that they read about in their courses, and some of them each year are lucky enough to make a journey well beyond their classrooms and the library.聽We might ask, 鈥淲hy?鈥澛� Why do they travel to these places, what draws them?
Perhaps they agree with Samuel Johnson, the 18thcentury English literary figure, who wrote about the Mare Nostrum:聽 鈥淭he Grand object of traveling is to see the shores of the Mediterranean鈥ll our religion, almost all our law, almost all our arts, almost all that sets us above savages, has come to us from the shores of the Mediterranean.鈥澛� Or perhaps the reason is more simple; perhaps the students travel 鈥渙ut of mere curiosity, to see what they could see鈥�, to quote Herodotus (3.139) about why the Greeks traveled to Egypt. 聽In the following contributions by 杏吧原创 students you will find some of the personal reasons for their travels.
Beer’s Blog
2017 was the first time in 50 years I did not give a lecture to students. Whether this is a sign that the Grim Reaper is beginning to dog my footsteps I cannot say. Not that the year was without activity. I had a letter published in the London Review of Books on a 1000 year use of the Greek word for 鈥渂arley corn鈥� (it is a euphemism for penis) in the ancient theatre and another in The Guardian Weekly on the egregious errors of a reviewer of Colm Toibin鈥檚 recent novel, 聽House of Names, based on Aeschylus鈥� Oresteia. I also led a study group of high powered people on Greek tragedy. The formation of this group was proposed to me by a fascinating psychoanalyst who felt that her own education was deficient in this vital area. Who am I to disagree?聽As a result I am now working on a new interpretation of Euripides鈥� Hippolytus, a brilliant tragedy about one of my two favorite deities: Aphrodite, the other being Dionysus. For good or ill, age has forced me to cultivate these two gods less than when I was younger. In Plato鈥檚聽Republic (329 b-c-28) there is told the story of the aged Sophocles 鈥� he was 90 when he died 鈥� who, when asked whether he was still devoted to the affairs of Aphrodite and capable of having sex with a woman, replied: 鈥淟et鈥檚 talk about something else; I鈥檓 so happy to have escaped from her as if I have escaped from a crazy and savage despot鈥�. I have not yet reached the point of Sophocles鈥� sexless bliss, but in this matter I live nowadays more in fantasy than hard reality. Things are looking up however in 2018, for I was asked to give a seminar, in early January, on 鈥淭ruth in ancient Greece and Rome鈥� for a 4thyear course in Sociology, entitled 鈥淭ruth and the Media鈥�.聽It gave me fresh ideas, especially as the Greek word for truth, aletheia, means 鈥渘ot forgetting鈥� and is etymologically related to the English word 鈥渓ethal鈥� (deadly). This reminded me that my mortality has not quite caught up with me and, as I lectured, I did 鈥渘ot forget鈥� some of my own youthful enthusiasms.
Josh Beer
2017 was an exceptional year, not least for anniversaries. There was of course the centenary of the Russian Revolution and the 5thcentenary of Martin Luther鈥檚 95 theses which provoked the Protestant Reformation. Both of these have had profound effects on the modern world. Closer to home there was the 75thanniversary of the founding of 杏吧原创 University in 1942. I was vividly reminded of it long ago in the 1980s, while teaching beginning Greek. That year, the class was divided up into two half courses, one (A) in the Fall and one (B) in the Winter term. There was a lovely elderly lady in the course who, quite naturally, found the amount of learning a strain 鈥� the standard Greek verb, for example, has about 450 forms. The lady in question had not realized she had to re-register for the B half course in January and came to me in a panic at the beginning of February to say that she was not registered. I calmed her down and said I would contact the Registrar鈥檚 Office and fix it. I asked for her student number; she gave me a number between 41 and 49 鈥� the precise number does not matter. At this point I almost fainted and asked when she had taken her first course at 杏吧原创. She replied: 鈥�1942鈥�.聽 History is all around us even though we may not realize it.
Of course the big anniversary in 2017 for most Canadians was the sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of Confederation. In 2011, as a retirement project, I had founded 鈥楾he Ottawa Society for the Arts and Sciences鈥� (OSFAS which can be googled). For the sesquicentennial celebrations OSFAS held a panel discussion on 鈥淥ttawa Then and Now: from 1967-2017鈥�.聽 I spoke on food and entertainment. I divided my words under two headings: 鈥淏ehind Closed Doors鈥� and 鈥淭he Bridge to Hull鈥�. FGRS needs money so if you would like to see my comments, you can purchase them from me for a dollar a word. If you believe this fee is too much, don鈥檛 forget the story at ancient Rome about the purchase of the Sibylline Books. If you don鈥檛 buy this time, the next time you may get less for your money. More likely however you will feel that you have saved yourself a lot of money, unless you nurture very generous feelings towards FGRS.
As a classicist, for me the most important anniversary of 2017 was the death of Ovid, 2000 years ago in 17 AD. I googled his name several times without success. What was the cause I wondered of this neglect? Was it because he was a naughty 鈥� a word to which I shall return 鈥� boy and was exiled by Augustus for his carmen (poetry) and error?聽 We still do not know what the error was. Even today in the new puritanical climate much of Ovid鈥檚 work is regarded as politically incorrect, and we are in danger of repeating the actions of a Roman dictator by banning much of his poetry. I doubt if you will find Ovid鈥檚 Ars Amatoria聽on too many university curricula today. His聽Metamorphoses however, very naughty though it is in places, is arguably the most influential of all Roman poems 鈥� especially on Renaissance art and Shakespeare and this influence continues and has helped shape the modern western world. What other literary work has dealt with LGBTQ issues with more imagination?聽 Such neglect worries me. It was therefore with much relief, if that is the right term, that I learned in December 2017 that the City Council of Rome had revoked the exile of Ovid.聽 Up yours, Augustus! But where are the classicists? If we do not commemorate our own, is our discipline 鈥� I should rather say our alma mater聽 鈥� worthy of survival? Classicists have got to be much more vocal in the public domain. Let us all take a leaf from Mary Beard, a major exception, about whom I hope to write on a later occasion 鈥� the Grim Reaper being willing.聽 In the meantime buy her latest offering which appeared about the same time as the revocation of Ovid鈥檚 exile: Women & Power: A Manifesto.聽This includes several references to Ovid.
Let me end by returning to the word 鈥渘aughty鈥�. The angel Catherine, my partner, and I went to our local Japanese restaurant in December. When we entered Cathy went to the washroom, while Serena, the waiter, led me to our table. I ordered green tea and then said; 鈥淵ou can also bring a large Sake which I鈥檇 better order while Cathy is not present because she thinks it makes me NAUGHTY鈥�. Serena looked at me and said 鈥淣O TEA?鈥澛� The joys of the spoken word.
Back to Top鈫�
Joy’s Book Case
This is an annual feature of the Newsletter, which includes at least one book review and additions to the list of books begun last year, books about Classical Antiquity or somehow related to it, though not textbooks as such.聽 The list is eclectic and I hope that readers will contribute to the list and/or write reviews of books that might be of interest.聽 (This feature is named for my friend, Joy Barrie, who was a student in the Classics Dept. some time ago and continues to give me books to read.)
First a Book Review by John Gahan
听听by Susan Sontag聽(New York: Anchor Books, 1992)
Sir William Hamilton wore many hats during his seventy odd years.聽 He was a soldier, a country squire (albeit over the lands in Wales that his first wife inherited), a Member of Parliament, a diplomat.聽 In that capacity he was the British Ambassador to the Bourbon Court of Naples from 1764 to 1800.聽 We classicists know him primarily as an antiquarian because of the vast collection of ancient Greek vases that he amassed while in Italy.聽 He also developed a reputation as a volcanologist for his in-depth study of Mount Vesuvius.聽 Susan Sontag alludes to this in the title of her 1992 novel about Hamilton, The Volcano Lover, to which she appends 鈥淎 Romance.鈥澛� In the literary sense a good romance has its hero though Sontag鈥檚 is not Hamilton but Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson instead, the lover not of volcanoes but of Emma Hart1, Hamilton鈥檚 second wife, in one of history鈥檚 more famous 尘茅苍补驳别蝉-脿-迟谤辞颈蝉.聽 Is Sontag, by the way, also playing here with the other sense of romance as a love affair and underscoring it by the word 尝辞惫别谤听in her title proper?2
Vesuvius in Eruption by J.M.W. Turner
The Volcano Lover is, then, a historical novel set against the backdrop of late eighteenth century Naples and its ruling class, but in her interpretation of all this Sontag as novelist 鈥� she was also an essayist and political critic 鈥� has her focus initially on Hamilton naturally enough but then on Emma and finally Nelson, who becomes the third member of the eventual trio as a consequence of the French Revolution.聽 Hamilton鈥檚 pedigree was without question, though he still had to work for a living.聽 Emma on the other hand, despite her low birth and poverty, became after her marriage to Hamilton famous in the society of her day.聽 Nelson?聽 He had a grammar school education but embarked upon his naval career in his early teens only to become the greatest war hero of the day before he died in 1805.聽 Stellar though the dramatis personae聽are, Sontag鈥檚 novel is perhaps more appealing still to the student of Greece and Rome for its setting in the heart of ancient Magna Graecia and because of Hamilton鈥檚 antiquarian interests and also his 鈥渓ove鈥� of volcanoes that takes him more than once up the slopes of Vesuvius and farther south to Mount Aetna in Sicily.
Life Study of Lady Hamilton Emma Hamilton as the Cumaean Sibyl by Elisabeth Louise Vig茅e Le Brun
Classicists, then, but for that matter anyone interested in eighteenth century European social history will find The Volcano Lover a good read and its main characters and setting intriguing, but to conclude I want to call your attention to the novel鈥檚 Ottawa connection 鈥� tenuous admittedly, but, yes, there is a connection.聽 In its summer 2016 exhibition the National Gallery of Canada featured Elisabeth Louise Vig茅e Le Brun (1755-1842), the most prominent female painter of her day, according to the Gallery, and portraitist to Marie Antoinette.聽 Among Vig茅e Le Brun鈥檚 works was a painting of Lady Hamilton, which depicted Emma as the Cumaean Sibyl (1792).聽 Fanciful as this rendering may be, it is historically accurate.聽 While in Naples Emma often entertained her and Sir William鈥檚 guests with what she called her 鈥渁ttitudes鈥� (tableaux vivants) for which, suitably costumed, she would strike poses to evoke images from classical myth.3聽 These 鈥渁ttitudes鈥� doubtless formed the basis for this painting of Emma by Vig茅e Le Brun, done no doubt in connection with a visit she paid them in Naples. The visit is catalogued in The Volcano Lover.4
1 She changed her childhood name of Amy Lyon to Emma Hart.
2 For that matter is the author possibly alluding to Nelson in the title itself, not as a volcano (but a volcanic) lover? Though Nelson was roughly half Hamilton鈥檚 age and only in his mid-thirties when he and Emma met聽 (she was twenty-eight and not long married to Hamilton), war had taken its toll on him.
3 In connection with an exhibition devoted to Emma Hamilton (November 2016 鈥� April 2017), the Royal Museums Greenwich included among the essays about her 鈥淓mma Hamilton:聽The Lady with Attitudes鈥� ().
4 P. 164 f., cf. p. 173.
Some new books for the Book Case:
- An Odyssey. A Father, A Son, and An Epic聽by Daniel Mendelsohn (2017)
- Lost and Found: The 9,000 Treasures of Troy.聽 Heinrich Schliemann and the Gold That Got Away聽by Caroline Moorehead (Penguin 1994)
- Pagan Holiday. On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists聽by Tony Perrottet (2002)
- Women and Power: A Manifesto聽by Mary Beard (2017) (Mary Beard will be the focus of Beer鈥檚 Blog in the next newsletter.)
- Travels with Herodotus聽by Ryszard Kapu艣ci艅ski.聽 Translated from the Polish by Klara Glowczewska (2007)
As a young correspondent for a Polish newspaper, the author begins his career in India and travels from place to place, all the while carrying with him a copy of Herodotus鈥� Histories, and this ancient writer becomes his constant companion.聽Kapuscinski writes (p. 270):聽 鈥淭here were times when journeys into the past appealed to me more than my present-day journeys as correspondent and reporter.鈥�
I invite you to review any of these books for our FGRS readers (or those listed in Joy鈥檚 Bookcase in the last newsletter) for the next edition.
Departmental News
The Venus de Milo in Paterson Hall
Regrettably, the gift of a life-sized replica of this famous Greek statue, as announced in last year鈥檚 newsletter, did not materialize for reasons unknown.聽 Suggestions for some other suitable and iconic image of Classical Antiquity for Paterson Hall are welcome.
October Trip to Greece Shane Hawkins
Curious about the birthplace of democracy, theatre, western literature and philosophy? With its timeless art and architecture, Greece is still the center of our cultural imagination. Listen to Professor Shane Hawkins as he talks about some of the marvels you can expect to see firsthand on the upcoming 11 day small group trip to Greece which he will be leading. This trip is taking place October 11-21, 2018 so !
The 鈥淕reatest Hits of Greece鈥�: CLCV 3400 in May 2019
Professor Susan Downie will be leading a study abroad trip (CLCV 3400) to Greece in the early summer term of 2019.聽 This is a 鈥渞epeatable鈥� course, so if you joined Professor Klaassen in Italy last year, you can still get credit for going to Greece as well.聽 The trip will include roughly 3 weeks of travel starting with several days in Athens where (among other things) we will visit the Acropolis, agora, Kerameikos (all of which have their own museums), and the National Archaeological Museum.聽 Then we will travel by bus to some of the most famous places in central Greece and the Peloponnese, starting with Thebes and Delphi, then moving on to Olympia, Pylos, Sparta, Mycenae and Tiryns, Epidauros, Corinth / Acrocorinth and Eleusis.聽 Be forewarned that there is a lot of strenuous walking on this trip! 聽There may be additional sites in our final itinerary, and when we stay in Nauplio, those of you who have been to Italy can judge whether Greece or Italy has the best gelato on the planet.
Throughout the trip we have various professionals speak to the students about their work.聽 In the past, this has included museum curators at the NAM, site conservators, specialists on pottery and human osteology, and excavation directors.聽 This is a course for credit, so there are academic requirements: during the trip you must attend all mandatory site and museum tours and you must keep a daily journal about what you have seen and heard.聽 Once back in Canada, you must complete a take-home exam and brief research essay.聽 Auditors are welcome but can only be included in addition to registered students.聽 If you audit the course, you must still attend all mandatory site and museum tours and you must contribute to the academic content of the trip, normally by giving a brief presentation on an academic topic at the location of your choice.聽 The final cost will not be available until the fall, but should be roughly $4000 鈥� including all travel to, from and within Greece, all accommodations, and breakfasts.聽 There will be an information session in the fall term and a deposit is normally due by December, but please contact Professor Downie (susan.downie@carleton.ca) if you want more information.
CORVUS
The 杏吧原创 Classics Society has just published the latest volume of the journal 颁辞谤惫耻蝉听and it is available both online (online link here)and in print.聽 It can be purchased for $10 for non-members and $5 for members; please contact Shamus.Mccoy@cmail.carleton.ca. Check out the 2018 Corvus PDF.
Donations
Donations to the Friends of Greek and Roman Studies are gratefully accepted and receipts will be issued.聽 Donations are used for departmental events and honoraria.聽 Thank you for your past contributions.
Acknowledgements/A Final Word of Thanks
I would like to acknowledge the help of Josh, Walter, Shamus, Ally, Samantha, Sheri, and John who have kindly contributed to this edition of the Newsletter. I hope that you all have enjoyed the articles.聽 But the Newsletter would not appear in this format, so nicely put together and arranged with pictures and links and special details without the computer expertise of Patricia Saravesi聽in the Dean鈥檚 Office and the organization and patience of Andrea McIntyre, our GRS administrator.聽 I am once again very grateful to them both.
The Very Best,