Centenary Lecture Theatre, Sandy Bay Campus
Summary:This talk concentrates on the folk song known as ‘The Bridge of Arta,’ a ballad about the trials and tribulations associated with the construction of a bridge and the turmoil that this project brings to the master builder and his wife.
Presenter(s):
- Dr Stavroula Nikoloudis, La Trobe University
Greek folk songs, or demotic songs, are creations of the ‘demos’ (people). As part of the oral poetic tradition, they offer invaluable insights into traditional village life, beliefs and value systems. Such songs, first attested in written form in the fifteenth century, are part of a long oral story-telling tradition dealing with issues from everyday life and conveying messages to its audiences that still resonate with us today.
This talk concentrates on the folk song known as ‘The Bridge of Arta,’ a ballad about the trials and tribulations associated with the construction of a bridge and the turmoil that this project brings to the master builder and his wife. By exploring the form and content of ‘The Bridge of Arta,’ this presentation aims to highlight the continuing value and relevance of the study of Demotic Songs, and the Humanities more generally, to our contemporary society.
Themes to be covered include a survey of the characteristic features of Greek folk songs as found in this ballad as well as its potential messages about public and private responsibilities, the role of women, life choices, emotions, human relationships, family, marriage, and more.
Speaker profile
Dr Stavroula (Stephie) Nikoloudis has a BA (Hons) and MA from The University of Melbourne and a PhD from The University of Texas at Austin. As an archaeologist, she specializes in the Aegean Bronze Age and the Linear B script, which reflects the oldest surviving form of the Greek language, ca. 1450-1200 BCE. In July 2018 she took on the role of Greek Studies coordinator at La Trobe University. Her primary research to date explores issues of socio-economic organisation, identity and cultural diversity in the Mycenaean world. Her teaching centres on Ancient and Modern Greek language and literature. She has taught modern Greek at tertiary level in Australia and the United States and is especially interested in questions relating to identity and cultural diversity, migration, diachronic language development and language education.
