Great Books of Greece and Rome

What was literature for the Greeks and the Romans? This course begins by examining ancient "literary culture": the various social practices and modes of communication through which ancient literature was produced, ranging from theories of divine inspiration to the conditions under which literature was performed, circulated, read, and transmitted. We then apply this framework to three major case-studies, reading "masterpieces" in three genres of the literary canon with a focus on their various social functions. Genres for study in spring 2015 are: (1) Lyric poetry; (2) Tragedy; (3) The Ancient Novel. Goals: This course is intended to give students a thorough familiarity with key works from the Greco-Roman literary tradition in conjunction with analysis of the sociology of literature in the ancient world. The primary objectives are critical reading, critical discussion, oral presentation, formal scholarly writing, and a greater sensitivity to sociocultural diversity in ancient Greece and Rome.