Overview

Why has the myth of Pygmalion and his ivory statue proved so inspirational for writers, artists, philosophers, scientists, and directors and creators of films and television series? The 'authorised' version of the story appears in the epic poem of transformations, Metamorphoses, by the first-century CE Latin poet Ovid; in which the bard Orpheus narrates the legend of the sculptor king of Cyprus whose beautiful carved woman was brought to life by the goddess Venus. Focusing on screen storylines with a Pygmalion subtext, from silent cinema to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lars and the Real Girl, this book looks at why and how the made-over or manufactured woman has survived through the centuries and what we can learn about this problematic model of 'perfection' from the perspective of the past and the present. Given the myriad representations of Ovid's myth, can we really make a modern text a tool of interpretation for an ancient poem? This book answers with a resounding 'yes' and explains why it is so important to give antiquity back its future.

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9781441184665

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PaulaJames has produced a brilliant and engaging study of how and why the modernmedia of film and television continue to refashion ancient mythologicalnarratives for contemporary audiences, in this case, Ovid's story of Pygmalionand his ivory statue come to life. In a series of provocative and detailedchapters, James expertly examines an array of cinematic and televisual texts from classic films like Vertigo (1958)to more recent screen productions such as Larsand the Real Girl (2007) and Buffythe Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) that correspond on both the narrative andfigurative levels to Ovid's myth of the made-over woman. James deftlyunravels the myth's infinite and powerful layers as she explores the popular genreof make-over films, while delving into the question of our eternalfascination with the theme of artfully or artificially created life and theproblems of perfection inherent in the eyes of the beholder. With theanalytical skills of a classicist and the ardor of a film fan,

The story of Elisa Doolittle, the working class flowergirl transformed into the image of a Duchess by Professor Higgins, was madefamous by the 1964 musical My Fair Lady. In her excellent book, Paula Jamespositions this story within a more complex and long standing literary andcinematic tradition. Beginning with Ovid's epic poetry and his version of thePygmalion myth, James explores how the narrative trope of the make-over hasbeen repeatedly reworked and re-imagined on screen. Bringing together anexciting range of literary, cinematic, and televisual texts as diverse asPygmalion, Vertigo, Pretty Woman, Miss Congeniality and Buffy the VampireSlayer, James offers an insightful discussion of the perennial cultural need tofashion and re-fashion women into a fantasy ideal. Scholarly and engaging, thisbook will make you look at these texts, whether classical or pop culture, likenever before. Stacey Abbot, Reader in Film and Television Studies, Roehampton University, London, UK

Author Information

Paula James is Senior Lecturer in Classical Studies at The Open University, UK, and has published widely in Latin Literature and on the reception of classical motifs in popular culture. She has appeared on 'Women's Hour' on Radio 4 to talk about her previous book The Role of the Parrot in Selected Texts from Ovid to Jean Rhysand has also appeared on Radio 3's Greek and Roman Essay series, speaking on Cicero.

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