28952 - Tradition and Permanence of Classics (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students master the most important philological tools for working with Greek texts, with special focus on the history of their transmission and reception. They also know elements of ancient Greek and Latin culture that are necessary for understanding modern European literatures.

Course contents

The myth of Narcissus, between Literature and Visual Arts

 

Readings from Conon, Ovid, Pausanias, Philostratus, Ausonius, Giovanni Boccaccio, Giambattista Marino, Oscar Wilde, Rainer Maria Rilke, Umberto Saba.

These texts will be available among the online teaching materials; the full list of the texts will be given by the end of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts:

Conon, Diegeseis 24; Pausanias 1.30.1 e 9.31.7-8; Ovid, Met. 3.339-510; Ausonius, Epigrams 108-110 Green; Philostratus, Imagines 1.23; Giovanni Boccaccio, De genealogia deorum gentilium 59; Giambattista Marino, La Galeria (Narciso di Bernardo Castello I e II, Narciso di Francesco Maria Vanni), Adone, canto 5, str. 6 ff.; Oscar Wilde, Short Stories. The Disciple; Rainer Maria Rilke, Narcissus (1913, 1922, 1924); Umberto Saba, Narciso al fonte.

The texts read during the lessons will be available among the online teaching materials. Latin texts must be studied in Latin. Students in Classics will be required to read the Greek Texts in Greek.

General bibliography:

Ovidio. Metamorfosi, vol. II, libri III-IV, a cura di A. Barchiesi e G. Rosati; traduzione di L. Kock, Milano, Mondadori 2007, pp. 175-207

M. Bettini – E. Pellizer, Il mito di Narciso. Immagini e racconti dalla Grecia a oggi, Torino 2003.

An additional specific bibliography, concerning the single themes and texts that will be object of the lectures, will be provided during the course.

Non-attending students are requested, in addition, to read the following texts:

G. Genette, Palinsesti. La letteratura al secondo grado, Torino, Einaudi 1997

G. Rosati, Narciso e Pigmalione. Illusione e spettacolo nelle Metamorfosi di Ovidio, Pisa 2016 (II ed.)

Teaching methods

Lectures in class.

Assessment methods

Viva voce examination, which will test the ability of:
- understanding the texts in their historical and literary environment

- understanding and translating the Latin texts (students of Classics are expected to read in the original Language also the Greek texts; of course, the number of Latin text to be read will be reduced: a detailed list of the texts will be available before the end of the course)

- discussing and evaluating the critical readings proposed in the bibliography of the course.

Assessment guidelines:
Failing grades: lack of basic linguistic knowledge and inability to produce a correct interpretation of the text.
Passing grades: linguistic and philological proficiency at an intermediate level; interpretation of the texts mostly correct, but inaccurate and lacking autonomy.
Excellent grades: linguistic and philological proficiency at an upper-mid level; interpretation of the texts not only correct, but performed with autonomy and precision.

Teaching tools

The texts and the images analyzed during the course will be made available online.

Office hours

See the website of Lucia Floridi