CLA 216 - Ancient Epic

Institution:

University of Rochester

Subject:

Description:

Since antiquity, epic has been considered the highest genre, the one suited to stories that define the achievements and aspirations of an entire people. The major epic works, moreover, have exerted a powerful influence on literature throughout the world. Our goal in this class will be to bridge the "absolute epic distance" that Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin believed distinguished the genre and conduct an intensive study of the best-known Greek and Roman epics. Close readings of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid will be supplemented by critical texts that examine the tremendous social and civic import of epic in antiquity and the broader cultural contexts in which the genre flourished. The significance of the epic singer, the distinction between oral and written compositional techniques, and notions of gender, class, and empire in the ancient world will be topics of investigation that inform our reading of the epic texts.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.rochester.edu

Phone Number:

(888) 822-2256

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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