Course Description
The epic poetry of Greece and Rome with emphasis on Homer and Vergil, some attention being given to other epic works, such as those by Apollonius of Rhodes, Ennius, and Lucan. The historical and cultural background of epic will be examined, and the poems will be read in English translation.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students are required to direct seminar sessions and write more extensive research papers.
Athena Title
Classical Epic Poetry
Prerequisite
CLAS 1000 or CLAS 1000E or CLAS 1000H or CLAS 1010 or CLAS 1010E or CLAS 1010H or CLAS 1020 or CLAS 1020E or CLAS 1020H or CLAS 3000 or CLAS 3010 or CLAS(ANTH) 3015 or CLAS(ANTH) 3015E or CLAS 3030 or CLAS 3040 or CLAS3050 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students will: know the key epics of the Greek and Roman worlds; know the epic diction of both Greek and Roman epic; know the various narrative techniques used in classical epic poetry; know the practices associated with the genre of epic; understand how the values and ideology of the classical world are expressed in epic; understand the place of classical epic within the continuum of the genre from Gilgamesh to Dante; engage in crtical analysis of the literary merit, meaning and importance of the works read; produce writing appropriate to the subject of classical epic and to the discipline of classics.
Topical Outline
Introduction: chronology, geography, research resources Predecessors to classical epic: e.g., Gilgamesh Greek epic: e.g., Homer Roman epic: e.g., Ennius, Vergil, Ovid, Lucan Successors to classical epic: e.g., Dante