41887 - Latin Civilization

Learning outcomes

The course is aimed at offering an outline of Roman culture, through an approach - in Italian translation - to the main literary genres and texts of latin culture. The course will pay particular attention to the relationship beween culture and society and persistence of themes in European culture.

The following knowledge and skills are requested:
1. knowledge of history of literature, which includes the skill to outline profiles of the main genres, authors (listed in the programme) and their works and see them against the background of their historical and literary context;
2. skill of making literary analysis of classical and modern texts, studied in translation.

Course contents

Rewriting myth: Oedipus, Phaedra, Amphitruo
Analysis of Oedipus, Phaedra and Amphitruo myths will permit to make some journeys in the latin literature and culture and verify their influence on modern and contemporary culture. 

A. Authors and texts: the course is splitted into two modules:
1) Fedra ed Edipo: Seneca's Phaedra and Oedipus will be examinated, in particular with reference to their Greek models, and modern variations. With regard to Phaedra's the following texts will be considered: Sophocles, Euripides (Hippolytus), Ovidius (Heroides, 4), Apuleius (Metamorphoses, 10,1-12), Racine, d'Annunzio. With regard to Oedipus: Sophocles (selection from Oedipus rex and at Colonus), Freud, Gide, Cocteau.
2) Anfitrione: variations of Amphitruo's theme in Plauto, Molière, Giraudoux, Kleist will be considered (seminarial course by dott. ssa Lucia Pasetti).

B. Literary history: further to the periodization and a general historical background, students will have to know the main authors of Latin literature (Augustine of Hippo, Ammianus Marcellinus, Apuleius, Catullus, Caesar, Cicero, Cornelius Nepo, Ennius, Historia Augusta, Juvenal, Jerome, Livius, Livius Andronicus, Lucanus, Lucilius Gaius, Lucretius, Martial, Horace, Ovidius, Petronius, Plautus, Pliny the Elder, Propertius, Quintilian, Sallustius, Seneca, Suetonius, Tacitus, Terentius, Varro Marco Terentius, Virgil). Literary profiles presented during lessons will have to be integrated with a textbook.

Readings/Bibliography

A. Authors and texts: the complete listing of passages requested for the exam will be available at the end of the course on the site above, where texts circulated during lessons will also be available.
A. 1. Phaedra: it is suggested to refer to Euripide - Seneca - Racine - d'Annunzio, Fedra. Variazioni sul mito, a cura di M.G. Ciani, Venezia, Marsilio 2003 (the introduction is recommended): in addition to Seneca, Racine and d'Annunzio texts, selected passages of Euripides will be examinated. Texts of Sophocles, Ovidius, Apuleius will be supllied at lesson. Oedipus: Lucio Anneo Seneca, Edipo, introduzione, traduzione e note di G. Paduano, Milano, Rizzoli (BUR) 2001 (the introduction is recommended); Sofocle, Antigone. Edipo re. Edipo a Colono, a cura di F. Ferrari, Rizzoli (BUR) 1982;  Freud, Gide and Cocteau's texts will be supplied at lesson.
A. 2. Anfitrioni: it is suggested to refer to Plauto - Giraudoux - Molière - Kleist, Anfitrione. Variazioni sul mito, a cura di L. Pasetti, Venezia, Marsilio 2007 (the introduction is also recommended).
Bibliography: students not attending the lectures will have to refer to the following texts:: G. Paduano, Lunga storia di Edipo re: Freud, Sofocle e il teatro occidentale, Torino, Einaudi 1994 (chapters about Sophocles, Seneca, Corneille, Gide, Cocteau); F. Citti – C. Neri, Seneca nel Novecento. Sondaggi sulla fortuna di un “classico”, Roma, Carocci 2001, pp. 93-103 e 121-125); R. Uglione (a cura di), Atti delle Giornate di studio su Fedra. Torino, 7-8-9 maggio 1984, Torino, Regione Piemonte 1985 (pp. 33-77; 113-131).

B. Literary history: it is suggested to refer to: M. Bettini, Storia della letteratura, 2 voll., Firenze, Le Monnier, 2002, or  V. Citti - C. Casali - C. Neri, Gli autori nella letteratura latina. Disegno storico. Dalle origini alla tarda latinità, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2005, or G.B. Conte, Letteratura latina, 2 voll., Firenze, Le Monnier, 2002.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons;
Interactive lessons; amending  exercises and students' works (above all for seminars).

Assessment methods

An oral exam will verify:
- knowledge of literary history;
- knowledge of texts read in Italian translation;
- skill to see them in their historical and literary context;
- skill to critically discuss the essays in the programme.

Teaching tools

1. Online teaching materials: (see above for the address: http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/LatBC/latbc.htm); the same material will be available also in printed form and will be circulated during lessons;
2. Seminars (at the end of the course) will focus on informatic resouces for bibliographic research and text analysis.

Links to further information

http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/LatBC/latbc.htm

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Citti