From Judith_P_HALLETT@umail.umd.edu Sun Apr 25 09:38:36 1999 Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with ESMTP id JAA44784 for ; Sun, 25 Apr 1999 09:38:35 -0700 Received: from umailsrv2.umd.edu (umailsrv2.umd.edu [128.8.10.76]) by mxu1.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with ESMTP id JAA21314 for ; Sun, 25 Apr 1999 09:38:32 -0700 Received: from umail.umd.edu (umail.umd.edu [128.8.10.28]) by umailsrv2.umd.edu (8.9.1a/8.9.0) with SMTP id MAA27139 for classics@u.washington.edu; Sun, 25 Apr 1999 12:38:31 -0400 Message-Id: <199904251638.MAA27139@umailsrv2.umd.edu> Date: Sun, 25 Apr 99 12:38 EDT From: Judith_P_HALLETT@umail.umd.edu (jh10) Subject: Re: Re: NPR Sappho To: classics@u.washington.edu In-Reply-To: <371FD3D0.25B2@cloud9.net> >jh10 wrote: >> >> Callers to the program don't give their last names, much less indicate >> whether they are classicists (or familiar with the texts in the original). >> But unless I am sorely mistaken, those who phoned in were nearly all "non >> professionals" with strong feelings about Sappho and her writing, but not >> necessarily well informed about either. I don't think I could have >> handled>their combination of passionate emotion and ignorance as smoothly as >> Page DuBois did. Yes, it was frustrating to hear misinformation presented (and >> no real appreciation for Page's efforts to "set the record straight"), but I >> don't know that she would have accomplished much by lecturing these >> enthusiasts. And it's those strong feelings that were voiced on the program, >> and that I encounter so often in other venues, that keep Sappho on the front >> "burner" as a topic of abiding interest. Judy Hallett > >But is it Sappho or 'Sappho' that is a topic of interest. I don't wish >to play down the importance of any sign of interest in classical >subjects, but how helpful is the interest of the willfully uninformed? > >J.F. Gannon I'm back on email after a few days at the CAAS meeting (held in Chevy Chase, Maryland,a few blocks from my house, but all-absorbing of my time and energies nonetheless). We put together a rich program that aimed to address the scholarly, professional, pedagogical and general intellectual interests of our diverse membership. My own contributions tried to respond to specific concerns and wishes of list members who live in CAAS territory. The dinner presentation on Robert Kennedy and the classics by Michael Beran was terrific, and prompted a wonderful discussion about the influence of classics on 20th century US political thought. Our lieutenant governor, RFK's daughter, sent a lovely letter about the role of classics in her own education and her family's political thinking, as well as several copies of her brother Maxwell's book--Make Gentle the Life of This World (the title is inspired by a quote from Edith Hamilton about the Greeks, and the book itself, which excerpts RFK's daybook as well as his most inspirational speeches, abounds with classical material). And the session in which various classicists, in person and in letters, paid tribute to their own secondary school Latin teachers, living and of blessed memory, in Washington DC and Maryland, was all I had hoped for and more! Martin Kilmer came down from Ottawa and added so much to the discussion (and, in addition, did a splendid job of reading the Latin ovatio to his former teacher, Dom Aidan Shea)--indeed, he coined a name (much invoked later) for forgettable Latin teachers! Judith Perkins joined us from Hartford and Sheila Murnaghan from Philadelphia, both with their former Latin teachers--Sister Mary Berchmans Hannan of Georgetown Visitation and Benita Holland Lowe of the Bryn Mawr School--"in tow". Their tributes were absolutely fantastic.Much attention was given to the DC and Maryland public schools as well--with moving remarks by my colleague Greg Staley and my student PA Magee-Renner, and lovely letters by Erich Gruen, Harold Haizlip,Gary Meltzer, Jackson Bryce, Owen Ewald, and Hardy Hansen. A discussion in which those present shared recollections of secondary school teachers both inside and outside the DC/Maryland region brought the session to a lovely conclusion. COnsequently it was very disappointing that more list members from the region(especially those whose interests and concerns we were trying to address) could not be there! I'm CAAS president for 1999-2000 and would love suggestions for panels, speakers (especially those from "other walks of life") and other events for our fall meeting (October 8-9) at Lafayette College and spring meeting (April 28-29) at Princeton. My own wish-list of outside speakers includes Garrison Keillor and Garry Wills--can anyone on-list help me (off-list) to "book" either? But it is more important that those of you in the region (you know who you are) BE ON HAND. ....As for NPR Sappho (and David Lupher--who was also involved in "program planning"--may want to add a few words). It is my impression that Page Du Bois read the lyrics in Greek at the opening of the program. I was told by the staffers that they would "audition" for that role over the phone, by asking people who were recommended as book buddies and participants to read for them. I have no idea whether the staff contacted the many people I recommended (including several senior Hellenists here in Washington, two distinguished male classicists, an illustrious female classicist who is also a prize-winning poet, a highly regarded female classicist who is also a professional musician etc.). Since I thought they preferred people who were more "local", I did not suggest Page DuBois. What I can report,though, is this: These staffers had no interest in acting/performing ability, or even in whether the Greek was pronounced correctly--just how this telephone audition sounded over the phone to them. I offered to send them the CBC Court of Ideas tape in which a classicist--Trevor Hodge--supervised a Sappho discussion-cum-recitation by Sir KJ Dover, Peter Green, Jane Snyder and myself, but they didn't want to listen it. Although they were perfectly aware of my own "credentials and authority" in offering suggestions, they claimed to have their own procedures, criteria etc. which had to be given greater weight. For example, they claimed to have a list of the "leading classics departments", which they identified as Chicago and Reed.I tried to point out that these places might not have Sappho specialists on their faculty, but I'm not sure I got through. They were DETERMINED to have a classicist on the program/reading the lyrics who was a female, and very eager to have one who was also a Lesbian. They had strong reservations about allowing classicists to be too involved, on the assumption that we were arrogant about our "superior knowledge" and unable to express ourselves concisely, accessibly and effectively. What I have learned from this experience is what I have learned (and many of my colleagues and students have also learned) again and again and noch einmal from trying to collaborate with the media--they will do what they want to do,for their own reasons, and we classicists cannot expect total or even minimal "artistic control." This is all very frustrating, and maybe we should just give up trying to collaborate at all. On the other hand, when I write a letter of recommendation for a student or colleague to a classics department that is admitting or hiring, I cannot presume that my voice is the only one that will be heeded. THEY will admit and hire whom they want to admit and hire, for their own reasons. And I haven't given up writing letters of recommendation, nor should I. Quid faciamus? Keep trying to collaborate rather than give up, strengthening contacts and credibility within the various media. Maybe the next NPR program on a classical author/topic will be better than "Sappho". Encourage our students who have the right stuff to seek employment in the media so that there will be classically educated NPR staffers, Disney script writers etc. Take advantage of opportunities to acquaint the powers-that-be in media organizations with individual classicists and classics departments as well as larger organizations. I'm going to an evening forum at our local PBS radio station, WETA,next week for this very reason. MOST importantly, don't just share your gripes with list members. TELL THEM TO CITY HALL,in this case e.silva@npr.org, who coordinated the Sappho program. I would like a copy too, because I will be talking to her this week! Thanks for letting me go on at such length. Judy Hallett .