Date of Award

4-19-2024

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Department

English

First Advisor

L. Monique Pittman

Abstract

Mythology pervades numerous areas of our everyday lives whether we recognize it or not, providing material for the language of power that controls our society today. This calls for an interrogation into the racial and gender dynamics of a key classical Roman text, Vergil’s Aeneid, and its utility for alt-right and white supremacist political agenda in the contemporary era. Regardless of how we view classical literature and history and their relevance to our modern day political and social sphere, it is undeniably a dominant figure in conversations about race and gender, especially for alt-right movements of America and Europe who cite classical authors as authorities in their disturbing ideology. Their obsession is not without basis, as the study of classics as well as the material itself has a longstanding association with white status and masculinity. We see the “traditional values” of Greco-Roman society referenced in our everyday lives, from politicians’ tweets to discourse around border policies. Imagery of Greek heroes are used consistently by both left and right political movements—Vergil’s Aeneas is evoked in support of closed border policy as well as a proponent for refugees everywhere—showing the widespread influence these stories have on democracy built over centuries. Retellings of these myths in novel form for more general audiences have risen in popularity, and books like Ursula K. Le Guin’s Lavinia is an example of reanimation that enables conservative ideologies. Fighting unjust systems of power that find justification for their beliefs in antiquity requires critical reading skills, opposing shallow readings and seeking interpretations that promote collective activism out of literature.

Subject Area

Aeneas (Legendary character) in literature; Race in literature; Gender identity in literature; White supremacy movements

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