Classics 333 - Tacitus and Gibbon

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

On hearing that his granddaughter was reading Tacitus, Thomas Jefferson wrote to her: "Tacitus I consider as the first writer in the world without a single exception. His book is a compound of history and morality of which we have no other example." The translation of Tacitus into English by Trenchard and Gordon, with prefatory essays enlisting him for theWhig cause, contributed significantly to the ideology of the American Revolution. The same year that Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, Gibbon published the first volume of his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, often praised for being the greatest historical work of modern times and for containing the finest English prose of the 18th century. Students consider extensive selections from Tacitus and Gibbon (in the case of Tacitus, comparing translations on some key passages) from both a historical and stylistic point of view. As an Upper College seminar, this course requires moderated status in classics, history, or literature, or permission of the instructor.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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