Circles Never Stop Themselves: a study of classical reception in 'The Dolls of New Albion'.

Abstract

A study of classical reception, focussing primarily on the reception of ancient Greek tragedy, in the 2012 steampunk opera 'The Dolls of New Albion', written by Paul Shapera. This thesis employs the theory of Masked Reception explored by Apostol & Bakogianni. Basing its claims on a direct interview with Shapera, this thesis shows that The Dolls of New Albion can be interpreted as classical reception without the author intentionally or knowingly adapting classical literature into his work, thus paving the way for future research into classical reception in the absence of authorial intent.