Looking at the uses of Greek Mythology in the British Political cartoon, a case study has been selected because of the sheer volume of choice. The Myth of Sisyphus was chosen because examples have been found from 1844 to 2015, and the image can be understood without having to necessarily know the original story, thus making it more accessible to the reader of the cartoon.
Important to the research was to understand the adaptability of the myth and changes in meaning over time
This paper will examine how Louisa's art practice applies ideas of Classical Reception Theory in the production of a history of The Myth of Sisyphus. As reception history reveals alterations and shifts of meaning through time and cultures, so The Myth of Sisyphus can be seen as a metaphor of layers of repetition laid upon each other as each cycle of punishment begins, alluding to Deleuze’s concepts of Difference and Repetition. These are ideas born out of Nietzsche’s theory of Eternal Return, taken from the punishment of Sisyphus, first mentioned in the works of Homer’s Odyssey.
Ideas of repetition are fundamental to the meaning of the myth, but also in the intertextual use of the image and the cyclical nature of the news cycle and the images use in the British political cartoon'The Arts and Humanities Research Forum (AHRF) is a research forum for staff and students in the University’s Arts and Humanities College generated by the Doctoral College and the Centre for Research and Development. The AHRF is a fortnightly event series open to all research students and staff as well as open to the public as audience members. The forum provides a regular facilitative context in which researchers can trial or rehearse research designs, argue for and justify appropriate methodological approaches and frameworks, and debate theory/practice relationships in their studies.
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