Whither Quo Vadis? (eBook)

Ruth Scodel is D. R. Shackleton Bailey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan. She is the author of Listening to Homer (2002) and Epic Facework: Self-Presentation and Social Interaction in Homer (2008). Anja Bettenworth is Assistant Professor of Latin at the University of Münster. She is the author of Gastmahlszenen in der antiken Epik von Homer bis Claudian. Diachrone Untersuchungen zur Szenentypik (2004).

List of Illustrations ix

Acknowledgments x

1 Novel and Film 1

2 Adapting the Narrative 16

Sienkiewicz's Novel: Adapting the Story 16

Focalizers, Judgments, and Petronius 22

Petronius as Focal Character 28

Seeing and Mapping Rome 42

3 Gender and Ethnicity 55

Marcus and Lygia 55

Petronius and Eunice 57

Pomponia 61

Gender Roles in Public and Private Life 63

Ethnicity and Gender Roles in the 1985 Version 70

Adaptations in the 2001 Version 80

4 Political Institutions, Political Subtexts 88

Political Implications of the Silent Versions 91

Fascists and Communists: The 1951 and 2001 Films 94

The Complex Allusions of the 1985 Miniseries 97

Foreign Policy in the Films 116

The Military in the 1951 Version 118

The Arrival of Galba 124

5 The Roman People 139

6 Religion and Religious Authority in Quo Vadis? 173

Paganism 173

Judaism 178

Christianity: Ritual, Theology, and Confl ict in
Sienkiewicz's Novel 185

Transmitting a Tradition: Sermons in Novel and Film 188

The Representation of the Scriptures 190

Radicals: Crispus 194

Mainstream Christianity: Peter and Paul 200

Conclusion 211

7 Conclusions 219

8 Exkursus: Chilo's Mother 223

A Peculiarity of the German Translations of Quo Vadis? 223

Description of the Films 227

Synopsis of the Novel and the Film Versions of Quo Vadis 230

References 266

Index of Ancient Sources 275

Index of Personal Names 279

Index of Things and Places 285

"Recommended [to] all readers." (CHOICE, March 2010)

"There is much to admire in this book. It has a clear focus
and a good set of questions. It knows its way round the five films
and around the classical sources, and is prepared to look at
broader issues in relation to the close reading of the
films." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, March 2009)

"A remarkable achievement! Scodel and Bettenworth have
produced a splendid synthesis at once inter-disciplinary and
cross-cultural. Informed by fine classical scholarship and incisive
film-criticism Whither Quo Vadis is a compelling
contribution to the study of world literature, history, religion,
cinema studies."

-John F. Makowski, Loyola University Chicago

"A masterly analysis of all aspects of the art of making a
film from a historical novel. Written in a clear, engaging style,
it makes an enjoyable read, with extensive references for readers
who wish to explore the subject further."

- David Hahm, Ohio State University

"Anyone interested in the translation of epic novel to epic film
will find valuable insights and learned nuggets here, especially
concerning gender roles and political subtexts in the four
cinematic versions (1912 to 2001) and the 1985 television
miniseries."

-Emily Albu, University of California, Davis