Latin Literature of the First Century BC (Latin Core)

Week 1: Literature and intertextuality in the core texts. The lecture will start from Catullus’s passing observations on forensic rhetoric and then consider what Cicero says about poetry in the pro Archia, before moving on to specific reference to other writers and allusive marking of intertextuality, touching on all five poetic texts.

Week 2: Genre in Catullus 64 and Propertius; then intertextuality in the Eclogues, esp. Ecl. 3, 6, 8 and the constant reworking of Theocritus, and other authors.

Week 3: Allegory. What might encourage allegorical readings of these texts? Poetical allegory? Political allegory? Social allegory? [Mainly drawing on Vergil (Ecl. 5, 9) and Horace (1.14, 3.3, 3.27).]

Week 4: The interrelationship of poetry and politics: Ecl. 1, 4, 8, 9; the Roman Ode, Carm. 3.24-5 (with some background on Horace); Prop. 4 (with a survey of political aspects of earlier books).

Data last updated 23 January 2013 , 02:07 PM.

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