Trzaskoma, Stephen M

English

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryFaculty Travel Reports Global Education CenterSpring 2011Stephen Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics,COLA, travels to ScotlandStephen M. TrzaskomaUniversity of New Hampshire - Main Campus, s.trzaskoma@unh.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travelThis Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Global Education Center at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Faculty Travel Reports by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationTrzaskoma, Stephen M., "Stephen Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics, COLA, travels to Scotland" (2011). Faculty TravelReports. 55.https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travel/55Stephen Trzaskoma | Center for International Education and Global Engagementhttp://unh.edu/cie//stephen-trzaskoma[6/14/2016 1:46:05 PM]Home UNH Home Contact/Emergency Center for International Education and Global EngagementProfessor Stephen Trzaskoma in EdinburghStephen TrzaskomaAssociate Professor of Classics - College of Liberal ArtsProfessor Trzaskoma traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, in July to deliver a paper at the Celtic Conference in Classics.This year I was fortunate to be offered associate membership in KYKNOS, aninternational research group devoted to ancient narrative literatures of the ancientworld, which is based at Swansea and Lampeter in Wales. One happy result of thisaffiliation was an invitation to participate in a KYKNOS-sponsored panel, organizedby Professors John Morgan and Ian Repath of Swansea, at this summer's CelticConference in Classics (CCC). I was able to accept this invitation because ofgenerous support from the Center for International Education (in the form of anInternational Development Grant) and other offices at UNH.The CCC is a biennial event that rotates its venue among Ireland, Scotland, Wales,and Brittany, and I was particularly pleased to learn that this year's meeting was tobe in Edinburgh, a city I'd never had an opportunity to visit. Over four days sevenpanels met in small sessions covering topics as diverse as animals in the Greek andRoman worlds and Presocratic philosophy. The KYKNOS panel set itself the task ofexploring the notion of "Untold Narrative" in ancient literature. I found much to mydelight that the CCC is ideal for sharing one's own ideas in the usual way, as well asfor receiving feedback that is both learned and productive. Not only do the members of individual panels spend much of their time in discussion,but the panels join together to hear plenary lectures during the course of the meeting, each contributed by one of the panels—a lovely way forcross-fertilization to happen.The study of the ancient Greek and Roman novels, one of the areas of my own scholarly specialization, has always been a rather internationalaffair, and the KYKNOS panel was no exception, drawing scholars from universities in Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Poland, France, Greece, theUnited States, and, of course, the United Kingdom. That diversity of geography was mirrored by an energizing diversity of theoretical approaches,texts analyzed, and even age. With regard to the last, it was both heartening and a bit intimidating to find so many fine, young European scholarsgiving their elders a run for their money in sophistication and erudition, and truth be told some of us in the latter group were probably surpassed.Another of the useful features of the panel was that its subject was broad enough to bring in papers on subjects aside from the novels, includingLatin elegiac poetry, the Roman historian Sallust, and the narrative technique of Herodotus in his Histories. Ample time for discussion in the lovelysurroundings of the University of Edinburgh insured our ability to take advantage of each other's views, and I would be lying if I said that theseconversations did not continue in the city's vibrant streets and welcoming pubs.My own paper explored how Chariton, the author of Callirhoe, the earliest ancient Greek novel that survives complete, uses the narrative techniqueof frequent recapitulation to bring into sharp contrast those instances when a character refuses to offer a recapitulation of what has earlierhappened to him or her. In other words, I looked at the moments in which narratives are expected to be told but are not. In the end, as I see it,Chariton, colludes with his main character, Callirhoe, in allowing her not to tell her own story in full despite the many demands on her by othercharacters to do just that. This narrative suppression allows her both to shape the main narrative around her and allows readers to have a texturedreading experience in which we feel uniquely positioned to understand the heroine in terms of her internal psychology—a viewpoint with whichreaders of modern novels are well familiar, but which is quite rare in the traditional narrative genres of ancient Greek literature such as epic andhistory.The publication that I hope to produce from the kernel of this paper will be stronger because of the useful feedback I received from my fellowpanelists and also more interesting because from their papers I left Edinburgh with a wider and more complex view of the issues at stake. But toconcentrate on this as the main benefit of the trip is to underestimate its real value. Thanks to the support of CIE, in years to come I expect toreap many rewards from my continuing affiliation with KYKNOS and from the professional links within the world of classics that were strengthenedor made in the city nicknamed the "Athens of the North."I should also note one curious coincidence. Professor Martin McKinsey reported that during his own CIE-supported trip to Scotland last year, hecrossed paths with colleagues and students from UNH's Cambridge Summer Program. At one point during my own sojourn in Edinburgh, as I stoodoutside St. Leonard's Hall, admiring its Scottish Baronial architecture and chatting with a fellow panelist about a paper we'd just heard, I lookedalong the sidewalk and spotted Lisa MacFarlane, UNH Professor of English and Senior Vice Provost—and director of this year's Cambridge Program—, coming toward me. We didn't have the chance to share a dinner of mussels and oysters, as Professor McKinsey and last year's Cambridgedirector Professor Andy Merton did, but we did catch up the following morning at the University of Edinburgh's refectory, where she delicately andvirtuously breakfasted on authentic Scottish porridge while I crammed down as much haggis, bacon, and black pudding as I could.But perhaps all of this is no coincidence after all. Perhaps it is merely confirmation of how global a university UNH has become and what animportant role CIE has played in that development.About OISS Int'l Affairs Dual Major / Minor Study Abroad The World at UNH UNH Int'l Travel Policies & Resources Faculty AlumniStephen Trzaskoma | Center for International Education and Global Engagementhttp://unh.edu/cie//stephen-trzaskoma[6/14/2016 1:46:05 PM]Copyright © 2016, Center for International Education and Global Engagement  •  University of New HampshireHood House  •  89 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-2398  •  Fax 603-862-0169Thompson Hall  •  105 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-1288  •  Fax 603-862-0844For questions about this website          For UNH main directory dial 603-862-1234ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the UNH Webmaster

Stephen Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics, COLA, travels to Scotland

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Faculty Travel Reports Global Education Center
Spring 2011
Stephen Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics,
COLA, travels to Scotland
Stephen M. Trzaskoma
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus, s.trzaskoma@unh.edu
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travel
This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Global Education Center at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Travel Reports by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Trzaskoma, Stephen M., "Stephen Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics, COLA, travels to Scotland" (2011). Faculty Travel
Reports. 55.
https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travel/55
Stephen Trzaskoma | Center for International Education and Global Engagement
http://unh.edu/cie//stephen-trzaskoma[6/14/2016 1:46:05 PM]
Home UNH Home Contact/Emergency
 
Center for International Education and Global Engagement
Professor Stephen Trzaskoma in Edinburgh
Stephen Trzaskoma
Associate Professor of Classics - College of Liberal Arts
Professor Trzaskoma traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, in July to deliver a paper at the Celtic Conference in Classics.
This year I was fortunate to be offered associate membership in KYKNOS, an
international research group devoted to ancient narrative literatures of the ancient
world, which is based at Swansea and Lampeter in Wales. One happy result of this
affiliation was an invitation to participate in a KYKNOS-sponsored panel, organized
by Professors John Morgan and Ian Repath of Swansea, at this summer's Celtic
Conference in Classics (CCC). I was able to accept this invitation because of
generous support from the Center for International Education (in the form of an
International Development Grant) and other offices at UNH.
The CCC is a biennial event that rotates its venue among Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
and Brittany, and I was particularly pleased to learn that this year's meeting was to
be in Edinburgh, a city I'd never had an opportunity to visit. Over four days seven
panels met in small sessions covering topics as diverse as animals in the Greek and
Roman worlds and Presocratic philosophy. The KYKNOS panel set itself the task of
exploring the notion of "Untold Narrative" in ancient literature. I found much to my
delight that the CCC is ideal for sharing one's own ideas in the usual way, as well as
for receiving feedback that is both learned and productive. Not only do the members of individual panels spend much of their time in discussion,
but the panels join together to hear plenary lectures during the course of the meeting, each contributed by one of the panels—a lovely way for
cross-fertilization to happen.
The study of the ancient Greek and Roman novels, one of the areas of my own scholarly specialization, has always been a rather international
affair, and the KYKNOS panel was no exception, drawing scholars from universities in Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Poland, France, Greece, the
United States, and, of course, the United Kingdom. That diversity of geography was mirrored by an energizing diversity of theoretical approaches,
texts analyzed, and even age. With regard to the last, it was both heartening and a bit intimidating to find so many fine, young European scholars
giving their elders a run for their money in sophistication and erudition, and truth be told some of us in the latter group were probably surpassed.
Another of the useful features of the panel was that its subject was broad enough to bring in papers on subjects aside from the novels, including
Latin elegiac poetry, the Roman historian Sallust, and the narrative technique of Herodotus in his Histories. Ample time for discussion in the lovely
surroundings of the University of Edinburgh insured our ability to take advantage of each other's views, and I would be lying if I said that these
conversations did not continue in the city's vibrant streets and welcoming pubs.
My own paper explored how Chariton, the author of Callirhoe, the earliest ancient Greek novel that survives complete, uses the narrative technique
of frequent recapitulation to bring into sharp contrast those instances when a character refuses to offer a recapitulation of what has earlier
happened to him or her. In other words, I looked at the moments in which narratives are expected to be told but are not. In the end, as I see it,
Chariton, colludes with his main character, Callirhoe, in allowing her not to tell her own story in full despite the many demands on her by other
characters to do just that. This narrative suppression allows her both to shape the main narrative around her and allows readers to have a textured
reading experience in which we feel uniquely positioned to understand the heroine in terms of her internal psychology—a viewpoint with which
readers of modern novels are well familiar, but which is quite rare in the traditional narrative genres of ancient Greek literature such as epic and
history.
The publication that I hope to produce from the kernel of this paper will be stronger because of the useful feedback I received from my fellow
panelists and also more interesting because from their papers I left Edinburgh with a wider and more complex view of the issues at stake. But to
concentrate on this as the main benefit of the trip is to underestimate its real value. Thanks to the support of CIE, in years to come I expect to
reap many rewards from my continuing affiliation with KYKNOS and from the professional links within the world of classics that were strengthened
or made in the city nicknamed the "Athens of the North."
I should also note one curious coincidence. Professor Martin McKinsey reported that during his own CIE-supported trip to Scotland last year, he
crossed paths with colleagues and students from UNH's Cambridge Summer Program. At one point during my own sojourn in Edinburgh, as I stood
outside St. Leonard's Hall, admiring its Scottish Baronial architecture and chatting with a fellow panelist about a paper we'd just heard, I looked
along the sidewalk and spotted Lisa MacFarlane, UNH Professor of English and Senior Vice Provost—and director of this year's Cambridge Program
—, coming toward me. We didn't have the chance to share a dinner of mussels and oysters, as Professor McKinsey and last year's Cambridge
director Professor Andy Merton did, but we did catch up the following morning at the University of Edinburgh's refectory, where she delicately and
virtuously breakfasted on authentic Scottish porridge while I crammed down as much haggis, bacon, and black pudding as I could.
But perhaps all of this is no coincidence after all. Perhaps it is merely confirmation of how global a university UNH has become and what an
important role CIE has played in that development.
About OISS Int'l Affairs Dual Major / Minor Study Abroad The World at UNH UNH Int'l Travel Policies & Resources Faculty Alumni
Stephen Trzaskoma | Center for International Education and Global Engagement
http://unh.edu/cie//stephen-trzaskoma[6/14/2016 1:46:05 PM]
Copyright © 2016, Center for International Education and Global Engagement  •  University of New Hampshire
Hood House  •  89 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-2398  •  Fax 603-862-0169
Thompson Hall  •  105 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-1288  •  Fax 603-862-0844
For questions about this website
          
For UNH main directory dial 603-862-1234
ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the UNH Webmaster


https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1054&amp;context=international_travel

Stephen Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics, COLA, travels to Scotland

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New Hampshire