Decreation: A Hypothetical Opera in Three Parts April 9, 2004

Staged reading of Anne Carson?s
Decreation: A Hypothetical Opera in Three Parts
Students in Anne Carson?s "Jealousy 101" course

Friday April 9th at 8 pm and
Saturday April 10th at 2 pm
Video Studio

The students in the Comparative Literature class, "Jealousy 101", are producing something a little different than the average term paper this semester: they will perform a staged reading of Decreation: A Hypothetical Opera in Three Parts, written by their professor, well-known poet and scholar of Classics, Anne Carson.

Decreation is a refraction of jealousy in three different scenarios. Part One tells the story of Hephaestus, god of the forge, Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Ares, god of war. The three are involved in a love triangle in which Hephaestus, the jealous husband, plans to trap his unfaithful wife, Aphrodite, and her lover, Ares. Part Two deals with Marguerite Porete, a 13th century mystic who wrote an astonishing book about her love of God, which was deemed heretical. She was burned at the stake. Simone Weil, a twentieth century mystic and philosopher, is the focus of Part Three. Her parents had a desire to protect her, yet her own occupation with disappearance and annihilation of the self eventually overcame their efforts.

The students are in the midst of rehearsals for the production and are responsible for everything from set design to publicizing the event. The performance of the libretto will be the culmination of a semester of exploring the dynamics of jealousy. The performance is free, but seating is limited.

Co-sponsored by the Program of Comparative Literature, the Institute for the Humanities, and the Digital Media Commons.
Free and open to the public.

For more information or to reserve tickets, email [email protected] or call 734.936.1870.