Sp Abstract 20071
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Oh My God! They Killed Socrates!: Teaching Aristophanes Via South Park
In this paper I will argue that the popular animated cartoon South Park can be used as a pedagogical tool for teaching the plays of Aristophanes. One of the greatest challenges for directors and professors working with students and young actors is the apparent remoteness of the style and structure of Aristophanes' comedies. Although South Park is not, strictly speaking, an adaptation of Aristophanes' comedies, understanding it as such can be a learning tool for better understanding both classical and contemporary comedy. Being a top-rated program for close to a decade on Comedy Central, it is a series which most students have seen or even watch regularly. The immediacy of South Park to the students makes it possible to use the shared stylistic elements in order to help students understand Aristophanic comedy and bring it to life in the 21st century. Both use an irreverent humor embedded in fantastical elements to present the status quo and its opposition in order to comment on the political and social inadequacies of their respective litigious societies. The disavowal or blaspheming of icons occurs within these fantastical elements and can be found in situation, character, and voice of reason. By comparing the use of fantastical elements in South Park to that in Aristophanic comedy, students can better understand the situation, humor, and characters found in Aristophanic and contemporary comedy.
Katrina Bondari
In this paper I will argue that the popular animated cartoon South Park can be used as a pedagogical tool for teaching the plays of Aristophanes. One of the greatest challenges for directors and professors working with students and young actors is the apparent remoteness of the style and structure of Aristophanes' comedies. Although South Park is not, strictly speaking, an adaptation of Aristophanes' comedies, understanding it as such can be a learning tool for better understanding both classical and contemporary comedy. Being a top-rated program for close to a decade on Comedy Central, it is a series which most students have seen or even watch regularly. The immediacy of South Park to the students makes it possible to use the shared stylistic elements in order to help students understand Aristophanic comedy and bring it to life in the 21st century. Both use an irreverent humor embedded in fantastical elements to present the status quo and its opposition in order to comment on the political and social inadequacies of their respective litigious societies. The disavowal or blaspheming of icons occurs within these fantastical elements and can be found in situation, character, and voice of reason. By comparing the use of fantastical elements in South Park to that in Aristophanic comedy, students can better understand the situation, humor, and characters found in Aristophanic and contemporary comedy.
Katrina Bondari
