CCS Research Seminar 6

Ancient Greek and Roman myths abound with vivid descriptions of giant, supernaturally powerful creatures with horrifying composite bodies and a taste for mortal destruction – monsters. Across Greek and Roman literature, monsters are most commonly portrayed as horrible abominations, seemingly existing only as threats to humans and challenges for heroes. But how did ancient audiences feel when reading about these creatures? This paper will explore how sensory and emotional language can help scholars better understand the emotional impact that monster narratives may have had on ancient audiences. In particular, this paper will focus on how sensory and emotional language may have been used to evoke an aversive response, such as disgust or fear, towards monsters in myth. Disgusting and aversive language offers a lens into the qualities and experiences that made people want to flee or turn away, or just feel deeply uncomfortable. This sense of unease is seldom shaped by an instinctual or inherent emotional response but rather taught through cultural norms. By understanding the use of disgusting and aversive language, we can better understand what moral judgements were passed on monsters and the qualities they exemplified. 

Speaker:
Kitty Smith is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, with a graduate certificate from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Classical Studies from the ANU. Kitty’s research interests include Classical mythology, literature, and emotion studies. She is particularly passionate about Classical monsters, as shown by her dissertation research which seeks to examine the role of monsters in Classical mythology through the lens of disgust.