90098 - Greek Language and Literature

Learning outcomes

The couse aims do give the basic

knowledges  of Greek Language and literature thanks to the direct analysis of texts and documents. at the end of the course the student acquires the fundamental tools for inserting a text in its historical and cultural context, with special attention to material culture, myth, rituals and institutions, 

Course contents

The course integrates and deepens the themes already addressed in History and Fortune of Classical Mythology with reference to the episodes and historical-cultural meanings of the two best-known heroic models of the Greek world: Achilles and Ulysses.

Short excerpts of authors (in particular from Homer) will be read and analysed in class in the original language with the aim of providing essential information on both the semantic aspects and grammatical structures of the Greek language and the lines of development of the literary tradition.

The aim of these readings will be to provide essential insights into both the semantic aspects and grammatical structures of the Greek language and the development of the literary tradition.

Readings/Bibliography

For linguistic and grammatical notions: A. Aloni (a cura di), La lingua dei Greci. Corso propedeutico, nuova edizione, Roma: Carocci, 2014 (4. rist. 2022)

For literary history: A. Beltrametti, La letteratura greca. Tempi e luoghi, occasioni e forme, Roma: Carocci, 2005 (4. rist. 2013).

The dossier of texts analyzed in class will be made available on the course web site.

Students are also required to read in full in translation one of  the two Homeric poems (Iliade, trad. di G. Cerri, commento di A. Gostoli, Milano: Bur, 1999 e succ. ristampe; Odissea, trad. di G.A. Privitera: Milano: Mondadori, 2016) and one of the following essays: I. Malkin, I ritorni di Odisseo. Colonizzazione e identità etnica nella Grecia antica, edizione italiana a cura di L. Lomiento, Roma: Carocci, 2004; B. Andreae, L'immagine di Ulisse. Mito e archeologia, trad. it. Torino: Einaudi, 1983; P. Boitani, L'ombra di Ulisse, Bologna: Il Mulino, 1992.

Non-attending students are required to read M. Vetta (ed.), La civiltà dei Greci. Forms, places and contexts, Rome: Carocci, 2001.

Teaching methods

Lectures in which the texts on the syllabus will be introduced, translated and commented on.
Linguistic analysis will be an opportunity to resume and deepen the fundamental topics of the Greek language from a lexical, phonetic and morphological point of view.
In-depth lectures and seminars will be organized.

Assessment methods

Oral examination that will consist of reading and translation from the original of the texts in the program, a starting point for in-depth linguistic and historical-literary studies.
Assessment will adhere to the following criteria:
- negative evaluation: the student demonstrates inadequate preparation. Is unable to understand in the original language and contextualize the texts in the program.
- Sufficient assessment: the student demonstrates acceptable preparation. Is able to understand and contextualize the texts in the program (score between 18/30 and 23/30);
- positive assessment: the student demonstrates good preparation in both linguistic and semantic understanding of the texts in the syllabus and knows the fundamental themes and main authors of Greek literature (score between 24/30 and 27/30);
- excellent assessment: the student demonstrates excellent preparation in all parts of the test and possesses significant critical processing skills of the topics covered (score between 28/30 and 30/30).

Teaching tools

Texts, critical essays, handouts and other supporting tools will be available on the course website along with tutorials for acquiring basic Greek language skills.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Iannucci