28951 - History of Performing Arts in the Ancient World (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Docente: Lucia Floridi
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: L-FIL-LET/05
  • Language: Italian

Course contents

1. Dramatic performances in the ancient world, with a special regard to Athenian tragedy and its importance for the modern theatre.

2. Euripides, Alcestis.

Students in Classical Philology and Archaeology are required to read in Greek at least three of the following passages:

vv. 1-76, 244-434, 606-860, 935-961, 1008-1163.

Readings/Bibliography

1) For attending students, the class notes and all the documents online (texts, slides, etc.) are the basis for the final exam.

Required readings:

2) The reading of either a general introduction to Greek theatre or of two shorter general introductions (one to Attic tragedy and the other to comedy) is mandatory; you can therefore choose between:

2a) M. Di Marco (a c. di), Storia del teatro greco, Roma, Carocci, 2020, which covers both areas; as for the volume, the following sections will be prepared: pp. 27-227, pp. 243-318 pp. 27-227, pp. 243-318, pp. 439-460;

or

2b) two books among the following, one for tragedy and the other for comedy, chosen by the student: G. Ieranò, La tragedia greca: origini, storia, rinascite, Roma, Salerno, 2010; A. Rodighiero, La tragedia greca, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013; M. Di Marco, La tragedia greca. Forma, gioco scenico, tecniche drammatiche, Roma, Carocci 2009 (seconda edizione); B. Zimmermann, La commedia greca: dalle origini all'età ellenistica, ed. it. a c. di Sotera Fornaro, Roma, Carocci, 2016; G. Mastromarco, P. Totaro, B. Zimmermann (a c. di), La commedia attica antica: forme e contenuti, Lecce, Pensa, 2017. For English-speaking students, alternative readings are possible: please, write to me for further suggestions.

For students of classical or archaeological studies, required readings include A. Pickard-Cambridge, Le feste drammatiche di Atene, trad. it., Firenze, La Nuova Italia, 1996, pp. 79-244 e 361-382 (also in original edition); or five between the scientific papers at your disposal at "Virtuale.unibo.it" (at the end of the course).

3) One of the following books: V. Di Benedetto-E. Medda, La tragedia sulla scena. La tragedia greca in quanto spettacolo teatrale, Torino, Einaudi, 2002; G. Guastella (a c. di), Le rinascite della tragedia. Origini classiche e tradizioni europee, Roma, Carocci, 2006.

4) Euripides, Alcestis: students are required to read the whole tragedy in translation.

Suggested editions: Euripide, Alcesti. Eraclidi, trad. di N. Russello, intr. di G. Zanetto, Milano (Oscar Mondadori) 1995; Euripide, Alcesti, a cura di D. Susanetti, Venezia (Marsilio) 2001; Euripide, Alcesti, a cura di G. Paduano, Milano (BUR) 1993.

Students of classical or archaeological studies are required to read at least 400 verses in their original language, to be chosen among the following passages: vv. 1-76, 244-434, 606-860, 935-961, 1008-1163.

Further bibliographic information (for optional in-depth studies) will be provided in class.

For non-attending students:

Those who have not attended and do not have any lecture notes will have to prepare:

- the volume mentioned in 2a) or two of the volumes mentioned at 2b);

- both volumes mentioned in 3;

- Euripides, Alcestis (see above, point 4).

For non-attending classicists, the additional obligations reserved for attending classicists apply, with some obvious additions: you will read the entire volume A. Pickard-Cambridge, Le feste drammatiche di Atene, trad. it., Firenze, La Nuova Italia, 1996; or eight of the specialized articles made available among the online teaching materials. The 400 verses in their original language mentioned above will also be prepared.

Teaching methods

Lectures in class; seminars and discussion of the texts analysed in class.

Assessment methods

The oral examination will be an interview in which the teacher, through a series of questions, will test the theoretical knowledge as explained during the lectures. Students in Classical Philology and Archaeology will be also required to read, translate and comment a passage from Euripides, Alcestis (see above, point 4). The evaluation ranges from 18 to 30 cum laude depending on how sure, well-founded, precise, and rigorous the answers of the candidate will be.

Teaching tools

PC, projector, photocopies.

Office hours

See the website of Lucia Floridi