The myths, legends and historical narratives of ancient Greece and Rome continue to live long after their first formulations. This course studies the life and afterlives of selected ancient stories over time, through a variety of genres and media, and across cultures. In narratives of war and its aftermath, in stories of loss, displacement, and the return home, we might expect virtues and values to have shifted over the last three thousand years. But with what result for the original characters and story arcs? Students may focus on an ancient character, story world or narrative of their choice, tracing their story or story world through subsequent incarnations. We will also approach the retelling of ancient stories as a kind of fan fiction to ask: what attracts us to these characters and their story worlds? Why have generations of story tellers – authors and artists, more recently film makers and game designers – felt compelled to reinvent them? How, creatively, can we open up space in ancient and well-known narratives for something new? How, in short, do ancient stories remain fresh and relevant for the worlds we live in?