| Classical Echoes—Epic | |
| Classics 263 | UMass Spring '06 |
| MWF 11:15–12:05 | Herter 217 |
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Instructor: Brian W. Breed |
e-mail bbreed_at_classics.umass.edu |
Course Syllabus |
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| This course is a critical study of the various forms of ancient epic poetry, which was universally regarded in the ancient world as the most culturally significant poetic medium. Most of the course will be devoted to reading and discussing the major epics from Greek and Roman antiquity and their literary and social contexts. Beginning with Homer’s Iliad we will examine the continuity in heroic, martial epic across centuries, as well as the variety of different poetic responses to the expectations of epic genre conceived by poets writing in Homer’s wake. Additional discussion will focus on the various understandings of the concept of genre among ancient poets and critics, as well as modern critical approaches to epic. The final part of the course will study the contemporary epic Omeros by Derek Walcott as an example of the continuing vitality of the Homeric idiom both as an expressive form and as a vehicle for conveying a culture’s defining values. |
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| Required Texts (available at the Textbook Annex): | |
| The Iliad of Homer, trans. R. Lattimore (Chicago) | The Aeneid of Virgil, trans. A. Mandelbaum (Bantam) |
| The Odyssey of Homer, trans. R. Lattimore (Harper) | Ovid Metamorphoses, trans. A. Melville (Oxford) |
| The Argonautika of Apollonios Rhodios, trans. P. Green (California) |
D. Walcott, Omeros (Noonday) |
Course schedule: available on-line.
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| Assessment: | |
Grades will be based upon a midterm (25%), a paper (25%), a final exam (30%), short writing assignments (10%), and attendance / preparation / participation (10%). More information concerning means of assessment: |
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Exams will test students both on identification and definition of, e.g., personages, concepts, and terminology associated with epic poetry and on the interpretation of specific passages drawn from works read and discussed in the course. |
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Paper: a comparative essay of approximately 8-10 pages is due in class on Friday May 12. |
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Short writing assignments: these will be assigned and collected occassionally throughout the term. They may be as brief as just a paragraph or as long as a page or two at the most. They will be marked on a scale from 0 to 3. |
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Preparation and Participation: Attendance and participation in class are crucial aspects of the course. For each class students must have read the material assigned for that day and given attention to any study questions; they must always bring books to class, and demonstrate their ability to contribute to class discussion. Only full completion of all of these tasks will be considered full preparation. Your grade in this course will suffer after more than 3 unexcused absences or unprepared days.
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| Contact information: | |
| office hours: | Mon. 1:30–2:30, Wed. 2:45–3:45 or by appointment |
| Herter 537 | phone: 577-3479 |