BOOK REVIEW: A call for regeneration of the Classics

Chido Nwakanma is a communication strategist, journalist and journalism educator with extensive experience in IMC and strong interest in developing humanity. He can be contacted at chido@brandhaus.ng and via SMS on +234 (0) 803 723 1111; (0) 812 647 4335

Chinonso Madu and Dr. Humprey Akanazu (2019), Love, Myth & Stage: An Introduction to Classical Culture. Lagos: The Surveillance Media Ltd. Email: tsmlpress@gmail.com.   

It takes guts and uncommon conviction to canvass a return to the Classics with all the implied revival of the “dead languages” of Latin and Greek these days. Chinonso Madu and Dr. Humphrey Akanazu show gumption and marshal significant facts, anecdotes, and supporting literature and experiences to make the case. It is engaging reading of an otherwise dense topic.

This 140-page slim book is an “intellectual odyssey” into classics, love, myth, virtue, and poetry, among the various areas of the Classics and the experiences and interests of the writers. The authors worked hard at demystifying a subject that suffered severe asphyxiation over the years. For instance, no other institution, as far as I know, joined the University of Ibadan in offering Classics as a course in Nigeria. Nor have they promoted the success of their products. 

The University of Oxford offers Classics and the more popular Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) combo with many outstanding ‘alums’ in government, media, international affairs, consulting, and bureaucracy. The Economist held up the winner of one of its annual quizzes for depth because he studied the course. He excelled in giving a modern rendition and news report of The Sermon on The Mount from the King James Version of the Bible.

Oxford says of its Classics programme:

“Classics (Literae Humaniores) is a wide-ranging degree devoted to studying the ancient Greek and Roman world’s literature, history, philosophy, languages and archaeology. It is one of the most interdisciplinary degrees and offers the opportunity to study these two foundational ancient civilisations and their reception in modern times.

The degree also permits students to take extensive options in modern philosophy, a flexibility which makes Oxford’s Literae Humaniores different from most other Classics courses.

Oxford has the world’s largest Classics Faculty and programme of courses, with outstanding teaching, library, and museum resources.”

What are the Classics? Why are they significant enough to justify a book by two eggheads? What can they assist us to do in Nigeria?

The Classics are literature and culture from ancient Greece and Rome. They are considered to be some of the most important and influential works of art ever created. The Classics include literature, history, philosophy, religion, and art.

Some of the most famous Classic texts include:

• Literature: The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, The Aeneid by Virgil, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, and Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

• History: The Histories by Herodotus, The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, and The Annals by Tacitus.

•  Philosophy: Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, and Seneca’s Letters to Lucilius.

• Religion: The Bible and The Koran.

• Art: The Parthenon, the Colosseum, and the Mona Lisa.

The Classics had a profound influence on Western civilisation. They shaped Western literature, art, philosophy, and law. They continue to be studied and taught because they offer insights into the human condition that are still relevant today.

Love, Myth & Stage: An Introduction to Classical Culture comes in three parts and 40 chapters, plus a foreword by Airtel Nigeria’s Emeka Oparah, an introduction by Madu and Akanazu and a conclusion. It is a crash course in Classics and its significance.

The 14 chapters in Part One cover The Classical Culture, The Classical Languages, Graeco-Roman History in Brief, and The Relevance of Classics Today. Other chapters are The Question of Origin, Classical Mythology, Myths, The Protagonists of Classical Mythology, The Twelve Olympians, The Titans, The Titanomachy, and Some Popular Myths from The Odyssey.

Parts Two and Three are similarly detailed. Part Two’s 17 chapters or charters treat Love and Cupid’s Arrows, Cupid’s Color: Rainbow? Cupid: The Unruly Child, The Golden Arrow, The Leaden Arrow, Cupid: The Creator of a Monster, Can Money Buy Love? and Agape: Eros Redefined. Others are The Life of Virtue, The Sin Against Virtue, A Case for Xenia, Hospitality in The Iliad, Hospitality in The Odyssey, The Theme of Hospitality in Selected Myths, De Filiis Lycaonis Deucalionisque diluvio, De Perseo et Atlante and De Bellerophone et Proeto.

Part Three brings in more contemporary issues. It covers Slam Poetry, Spoken Word Poetry, Slam Poetry, Cupid’s Arrows, Africa and the Dark Image, Understanding Women, The Emotional Sphere, the Grandchildren of Wole Soyinka’s Landlady, the Promised Land and Lessons from Cleopatra.

Readers acquainted with philosophy, literature, drama, film, and political science will see familiar names and subjects. The film version of The Odyssey drew audiences globally. The two chapters on Slam Poetry are appealing for freshness and illumination.

The writers rise to their flights of erudition and oratory in Part Three, possibly because it concerns love and poetry. The language is elevated and harmonious.  Pages 92 to 124 are a must-read for the language and subjects covered. The topics include the politics of being Black. “The Grandchildren of Wole Soyinka’s Landlady” is about the continued racial hatred against dark-skinned people by those whose grandmother denied an African accommodation in London, as Wole Soyinka captured in his 1962 poem.

What is the gravamen of their case? `” Our modest text is aimed at quickly putting one through the rudiments of classics even as it demystifies the subject and moves from the awe of admiration to the love of living the classical tradition”.

Here is the rub. The writers’ goal is lofty but limited. For instance, they do not make a case for broadening the Classics by identifying and including African texts and materials. Their narrow goals theory is the revival of Classics, qua Classics, for its benefits.

The benefits of Classics include understanding the roots of Western civilisation and looking through a window into the history, culture and thought of the ancient Greeks and Romans, who laid the foundation for many modern institutions and values. Other benefits include intellectual stimulation by exploring ethics, politics, philosophy, and art.  Studying the classics teaches us more about modern (Western) culture, values, and evolution. Classics are beautifully written. They are works of art that can be enjoyed for their literary merit.

However, the Classics are often written in a problematic and archaic language. This can make them difficult to read and understand, especially for modern readers. In this book, Madu and Akanazu often delve into such grammatical expeditions even as they break down the topics and issues in the Classics. In addition, White men often dominate classics. This can make them irrelevant or even alienating to readers from other backgrounds. Significantly, Classics are not always representative of the diversity of human experience. Many other works of literature offer different perspectives and insights. Nevertheless.

The authors proclaim confidently in answer to the two queries on the utility of Classics to a Nigerian audience.  Why are they significant enough to justify a book by two eggheads? What can they assist us to do in Nigeria? 

“The study of Classics is the shortest road to an intellectual career, and this happens in a manner that shapes the mind with broad patterns, providing a scholarly foundation with applications in diverse careers. Classics open doors to a successful career in teaching, writing, editing, translation, publishing, acting, communication, diplomacy, and politics, among others. And still, the real thrill seems to dwell in the creative industry where fantasy is key. It permeates the artistic world, the entertainment industry and showbiz, which are quite relevant in our time.”

Students of philosophy, politics, drama, film, and literature will find Love, Myth and Culture a valuable guide, keepsake, and reminder. The general reader will also savour its fine writing. It teaches elevated discourse and the virtues that philosophy espouses.

Chinonso Madu won the 2009 Italian National Competition Fairy Tales adult category, Racconta La Tua Favola.

Dr Akanazu is the Country Head of Rome Business School, Ikeja GRA. He is a researcher, social entrepreneur, and educationist. He has bachelor’s degrees in philosophy from Pontifical Urban University and Theology from Pontifical Lateran University, both in Rome. He also has three master’s degrees from Roma Tree University, Education and Social Services Management from the University of St. Bonaventure and Peace Building Management and Marketing and Communication from Rome Business School. His Ph.D. in Psychology is from the University of Valladolid, Spain.

The public presentation of Love, Myth & Stage: An Introduction to Classical Culture occurred on Saturday, 23 September 2023, at the Rome Business School, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

Readers can get a Kindle edition of Love, Myth & Stage: An Introduction to Classical Culture on Amazon or call +2348098880750 or 8104102225.