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

Lovers of Portraits, Portraits of Lovers: From Pygmalion to Stendhal Syndrome

After an introductory section focusing on the concepts of intertextuality and intervisuality, this course will delve into stories of love for a work of art, with a particular emphasis on the myth of Pygmalion. We'll explore readings from, among others, Ovid, Pliny, Philostratus, Aelian, Pseudo-Lucian, Aristenaetus, Clement of Alexandria, Arnobius, Giovanni Boccaccio, Francesco Petrarca, Louisa May Alcott, Stendhal, George Bernard Shaw, and Madeline Miller.

In parallel, an iconographic journey will be offered, spanning from Greco-Roman antiquity to the present day, with forays into cinema, animation, and comics.

All texts will be made available in the online course materials. Latin texts must be read in their original language. The same applies to Greek texts (for students enrolled in the LM in Classical Philology only).

Readings/Bibliography

1. Lecture Notes and Slides

Students are expected to integrate their lecture notes with the slides provided by the instructor

2. Primary Texts

All students are required to read the Latin texts in their original language.

For students enrolled in LM15 (Classical Philology), reading the Greek texts in their original language is also mandatory. Other students will read the Greek texts in translation only. To compensate for not reading the Greek texts in the original, LM14 students must also read Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.407-510 (see below) in Latin.

2A. Greek (marked with *) and Latin Texts to be Read in the Original Language:

• Aristenaetus, Epistulae 2.10

• Arnobius, Adversus Nationes, 6.22

• Athenaeus, XIII, p. 605F (citing Alexis, PCG 41 and Philemon, PCG 127)

• Claudius Aelianus, Varia historia 9.39

• Clement of Alexandria, Protrepticus to the Greeks, 4.53.5 (= Posidippus, FGrHist 447 = fr. 147 Austin-Bastianini = SH 706) and 57.3

• Aesop 50 Perry = Babrius 32

• Flavius Philostratus, Vita Apollonii 6.40

• Flavius Philostratus, Imagines 1.23

• Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.220-297

• Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 7.127; 37.23

• Pseudo-Lucian, Amores 13-17

• Sylloge Parisina, epigram 106

• Strato, AP 12.190

• Valerius Maximus, 8.11 ext. 4

For All Students:

• Read the entire Book X of Ovid's Metamorphoses in translation only.

For LM15 Students Only:

• Read Ovid's Narcissus episode (Metamorphoses 3.339-510) in translation only.

For LM14 Students Only:

• Read Ovid's Metamorphoses 3.339-406 (Narcissus and Echo) in Italian translation, and Metamorphoses 3.407-510 (Narcissus at the fountain) in Latin.

2B. Rewritings (Selected Passages from):

• Arnulf of Orléans, Allegoriae super Ovidii Metamorphosen, X, 9

• Giovanni Boccaccio, De genealogia deorum gentilium 2.49

• Giovanni dei Bonsignori, *Ovidio Metamorphoseos Vulgare, cap. XVIII

• Francesco Petrarca, Canzoniere 77 and 78

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Pygmalion

• Louisa May Alcott, The Marble Woman

• George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion

• Sigmund Freud, Delusion and Dream in Jensen's Gradiva

• Graziella Magherini, La sindrome di Stendhal. Il malessere del viaggiatore di fronte alla grandezza dell’arte (The Stendhal Syndrome: The Traveler's Malaise in the Face of Art's Grandeur)

• Madeline Miller, Galatea

3. Secondary Readings

3A. Mandatory for All Students:

• Ovid, Met., vol. V, libri X-XII, edited by J.D. Reed; translated by G. Chiarini, Milan 2013, pp. 217-232 (commentary on the episodes of Cerae, Propetides, and Pygmalion).

• Bettini, M. Il ritratto dell’amante, Turin 2008.

3B. One Essay of Choice From:

• Floridi, L. Voci e silenzi di Briseide. Da Omero a Pat Barker, Bologna 2024.

• Rosati, G. Narciso e Pigmalione. Illusione e spettacolo nelle Metamorfosi di Ovidio, Pisa 2016.

For Non-Attending Students:

Non-attending students must prepare all texts listed under point 2, the mandatory readings listed under point 3A, both readings listed under point 3B, and G. Genette, Palinsesti. La letteratura al secondo grado, Turin 1997.

Support for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (DSA) or Temporary/Permanent Disabilities:

Students with DSA or temporary/permanent disabilities are encouraged to immediately contact the university's responsible office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ) and the instructor to jointly explore the most effective strategies for attending lessons and/or preparing for the exam.

 

Teaching methods

Lectures in class.

Assessment methods

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

- understanding and translating Latin texts (students of Classics are expected to also read the Greek texts in their original Language; of course, the number of Latin texts 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; mostly correct interpretation of the texts, yet inaccurate and lacking autonomy.
Excellent grades: linguistic and philological proficiency at an upper-mid level; correct, autonomous, and precise interpretation of the texts.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

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

Office hours

See the website of Lucia Floridi