The Brick-Built Sea: Adapting the Odyssey in LEGO

Abstract

In the summer of 2014, a group of Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) designed and constructed a massive LEGO model of Homer’s Odyssey—a model worth analysing as an artistic adaptation of a canonical work of classical literature. Drawing on recent scholarship in the field of LEGO studies, this article examines this model in the context of LEGO as an artistic medium. It then considers the ways in which this model engages with modern conceptions of the idea of ‘epic’, while also using Mikhail Bakhtin’s distinction between epic and novel to explore some of the model’s more novelistic qualities. Finally, this article seeks to position the model within—and in opposition to—a wider landscape of LEGO-centric classical engagement.

When Stories Travel: A Review of Transcultural Film Adaptation

“…While embracing digital technology, academics seek advancements that go beyond the intertextualityconstructed theoretical framework and typical comparative textual analysis method. In addition to methodological innovations, the content of adaptation evolves to consist of literature-to-costume (Choe, 2020), literature-to-television drama (Ballinger, 2021), theatre-to-film (Jeon, 2022), literature-to-Lego (Muchnick, 2023), and opera-to-ballet (Qi, 2023), among others. Inadequate research has also contributed to the blurring and confusion of related concepts, such as the distinction between transcultural adaptation and cross-cultural adaptation.…”