Tuesdays

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm 

Online

3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20 &  4/27

Six Sessions 

This course is offered online via the easy-to-use Zoom program.

The Trojan War is the architype of all wars, the iconic struggle which, for better or worse, has shaped Western literature ever since. It also represents the persistent human confusion of love and war, sex and violence. Troy is a modern novel which treats the legendary conflict as an historical event in all its particulars: the abduction of Helen, the armada of Greek ships, the ten-year siege, the Wooden Horse, and the final destruction of the city. But it applies the novelistic techniques of realism and nuanced characterization to create a contemporary feel throughout. A dramatic reading of the complete novel by the author, Richard Matturro, in six installments with time at the end of each class for comments, questions, and discussion.

“It takes a certain hubris to rewrite Homer, but Matturro, a classical and Shakespearean scholar, brings a new and refreshing perspective to his retelling of the Trojan War. … Troy offers insights on the first and greatest Western epic.”

— Publishers Weekly

“A detailed retelling of the Trojan War: Matturro’s first novel uses legendary history as its basis, but includes character development and political strategy, so that events occur because of human nature rather than the will of the gods. … Lucid, thorough synthesis of legendary material with some contemporary perspective.”

— Kirkus Reviews

Richard Matturro, a native of Rye, New York, holds a doctorate in English with a specialization in Shakespeare and Greek Mythology. After sixteen years at the Albany Times Union, he taught literature at UAlbany for fourteen years. He is the author of numerous newspaper articles and six novels. Troy was published by Walker Books in 1989.

Next