00567 - Latin Literature

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to present authors and genres of the literature of Rome in their historical development and the basic tools for interpreting Latin texts and documents.
The following knowledge and skills will be requested:
1. knowledge of the literary history, which includes the ability to outline profiles of the main genres, authors (listed in the programme) and their works and set them in their historical and literary environment;
2. the ability to translate the texts in Latin listed in the programme;
3. knowledge of phonetics, morphology and basic syntax, as appearing in the mentioned texts;
4. the ablity of carrying out a literary analysis of the studied texts (both in Latin and in Italian).

Course contents

I. SPECIAL FOCUS COURSE
Poetry and philosophy at Rome.

In class we will analyze an anthology from the following texts:

- Horace, Epistles: book I: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 20; Odes: book I: 20 and 38.
- Seneca, Epistles 1, 7, 44; De vita beata: chapp. 1, 2, 3, 6, 17, 18.

II. CORE COURSE
Latin Language (syntax); Latin Literature (history of Latin literature),Textual Criticism, Metres (elegiac couplet).

III. AUTHORS
1. Cicero: Pro Archia.
2. Juvenal: Satire 8
3. Vergil: Aeneid, Book III

IV. CRITICAL ESSAYS (see. Bibliography)

SCHEDULE: mon. tue. wed., 11-13, aula Tibiletti (Zamboni 38). The course will start on Tuesday 29 September.

 

SEMINARS

(if not specified, hosted by the Dipartimento di Filologia Classica e Italianistica, 32 Zamboni Street, 3rd floor), from 7 October.

Authors

1. Lecture of Cicero, Pro Archia (D. Pellacani): Wednesday, 13-14 (A-L) / 14-15 (M-Z), aula Pascoli (Zamboni 32, ground floor).

2. Lecture of Juvenal, Satire 8 (G. Dimatteo): Thursday, 15-16 (A-L) / 16-17 (M-Z), aula Pascoli (Zamboni 32, ground floor)

3. Lecture of Virgil, Aeneid book III (O. Fuà): Thursday, 13-15 (students M-Z); Friday, 13-15 (students A-L), aula II (Zamboni 32, 3rd floor)

Latin Language: the students of the course of Letteratura latin can also attend the seminars of the course of Lingua latina:
1. Beginners – I semester: see the program of Lingua Latina
2. Intermediate 1st level (morphology and elementary syntax) – II semester: see the program of Lingua Latina
3. Intermediate 2nd level (translation and syntax) – II semester: see the program of Lingua Latina

Readings/Bibliography

I. SPECIAL FOCUS COURSE
Texts: Orazio, Le lettere, a cura di E. Mandruzzato, Milano, BUR, 1983; oppure Epistole, a cura di M. Ramous, Milano, Garzanti, 2006. Seneca, Sulla felicità, a cura di D. Agonigi, Milano, BUR, 1996; la scelta dalle Epistole e dalle Tragedie di Seneca sarà resa disponibile nei materiali didattici.

Readings: almost three of the following essays: about epistolography: P. Cugusi, L'epistolografia. Modelli e tipologie di comunicazione, in Lo spazio letterario di Roma antica, II, La circolazione del testo, Roma 1989, pp. 379-419. On Horace's Epistles: S.J. Harrison, Poetry, Philosophy and Letter-Writing in Horace Epistles 1, in K. Freudenburg (ed.), Horace: Satires and Epistles, Oxford 2009, pp. 270-286; R. Heinze, Il libro delle Epistole di Orazio, Helikon 6, 1966, pp. 262-74 (ed. or. 1919); C.W. MacLeod, The Poetry of Ethics: Horace, Epistles, Journal of Roman Studies 69, 1979, pp. 16-27; R. Mayer, Horace's Epistles I and Philosophy, American Journal of Philology 107, 1986, pp. 55-73; J. Moles, Poetry, Philosophy, Politics and Play: Epistles 1, in K. Freudenburg (ed.), Horace: Satires and Epistles, Oxford 2009, pp. 308-332. On Seneca: E. Asmis, Seneca's On the happy life and stoic individualism, Apeiron 23, 1990, pp. 219-255; P. Esposito, La felicità e il giudizio del volgo: Seneca, De vita beata 2,2, Vichiana 17, 1988, pp. 151-162; P. Grimal, La critique de l'aristotélisme dans le De vita beata, REL 45, 1967, pp. 396-419 (rist. in Rome, la littérature et l'histoire, Roma 1986, vol. I, pp. 603-624); A. Traina, Lo stile drammatico del filosofo Seneca, Bologna 1984, pp. 9-41..

II. CORE COURSE
Language: I. Dionigi - E. Riganti - L. Morisi, Il latino, Bari, Laterza 2011 is recommended. As for the syntax: A. Traina, Sintassi normativa della lingua latina, Bologna, Cappelli, 1993. As an alternative, Allen and Greenough's New Latin grammar, Ginn & Company, Boston-NY-Chicago, 1903 (both for syntax and morphology). See also A. Traina - G. Bernardi Perini,Propedeutica al latino universitario, Bologna, Pàtron, 2007, chapt. II-VI.
Literature: G.B. Conte, Letteratura latina. Manuale storico dalle origini alla fine dell'impero romano, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2002, or M. Citroni,Letteratura di Roma antica, Bari, Laterza, 1997 [also in Engl. transl.: G.B. Conte, Latin Literature: A History, Baltimore, The John Hopkins UP, 1994] or V. Citti - C. Casali - C.Neri, Gli autori nella letteratura latina. Disegno storico. Dalle origini alla tarda latinità, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2005.
Textual criticsm and Latin metres: A. Traina - G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino universitario, Bologna, Pàtron, 2007, chapt. VII-VIII.

III. AUTHORS
Cicero: Il poeta Archia, a c. di E. Narducci, traduzione di G. Bertonati, Milano, Rizzoli BUR, 2000.
Juvenal: Satire, a cura di B. Santorelli, Milano, Mondadori, 2011; or Satire, a cura di L. Canali - E. Barelli, Milano, BUR, 1976.
Vergilius: Eneide, Book III, from Eneide, introduzione di A. La Penna, traduzione e note di R. Scarcia, Milano, Rizzoli BUR 2002, or Virgilio,Eneide, traduzione di M. Ramous, introduzione di G.B. Conte, commento di G. Baldon, Venezia, Marsilio, 1998.

Teaching methods

Lectures in class;
Seminars (where individual research will be discussed and essays and tests corrected).

Assessment methods

In a viva voce examination the students will be tested Latin phonetics, morphology, syntax and literature through the reading and translation of the Latin texts dealt with in class and listed in the programme.

Teaching tools

1. Online teaching materials: (see webpage above); handouts with the same content will be distributed in class
2. Seminars (cf. course content) devoted to the introduction to the bases of the Latin language (phonetics, morphology and syntax)

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Citti