Our Mythical Childhood

We invite you on a wonderful research journey with the Project Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges supported by the European Research Council (ERC) within the framework of the ERC Consolidator Grant (2016–2021).

The Project originates from two previous ventures (see hic et illic). We aim at developing a pioneering approach to the reception of Classical Antiquity understood as a living cultural experience that contributes to the formation of the young people’s identities along with their initiation into adulthood. The ancient heritage, in the process of continuous reinterpretation, has contributed significantly to building our common tradition – a unique legacy which at one and the same time is both fixed and in constant evolution. Thus, the essence of our approach consists in comparative studies of differing reception models across the continents, with the application of regional perspectives. The shared heritage of Classical Antiquity, recently enhanced by the global influence of popular culture (movies, Internet activities, computer games inspired by the classical tradition), gives a unique opportunity – through the reception filter – to gain a deeper understanding of the key transformations underway across the world. If you wish to know more, see Our Mythical Network.

Our Mythical Hope

Our first expedition takes place under the banner of Hope. Brought to Earth by Pandora, Hope is the only goddess that lives among us: in all of humankind’s epochs the world over, and even in galaxies far, far away – in all the acts of the Human Comedy across the ages. For life without Hope is impossible. You abandon Hope and enter hell.

At the present stage we focus on role of ancient myths as sources of Hope during vital, often very difficult experiences that young people face on their way into adulthood: Our Mythical Hope in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture... The (In)efficacy of Ancient Myths in Overcoming the Hardships of Life. We are examining how the authors of works for youth make use of ancient myths to help their audience in crucial moments of life, in face of both global and regional challenges. During the conference in May 2017 we are presenting our first research results in this field. For more information see the conference materials and the final publication. We wish you many happy returns to the land of myths!

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