00567 - Latin Literature (A-L)

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to present authors and genres of the literature of Rome in their historical development and the basic tools for interpreting Latin texts and documents.
The following knowledge and skills will be requested:
1. knowledge of the literary history, which includes the ability to outline profiles of the main genres, authors (listed in the programme) and their works and set them in their historical and literary environment;
2. the ability to translate the texts in Latin listed in the programme;
3. knowledge of phonetics, morphology and basic syntax, as appearing in the mentioned texts;
4. the ablity of carrying out a literary analysis of the studied texts (both in Latin and in Italian).

Course contents

I. SPECIAL FOCUS COURSE
Poetry and Philosophy at Rome: Lucretius, Horace and Seneca.
In class we will analyze the following texts:
- Lucretius, The Nature, book. I: vv. 1-148; 921-950; lib. III: vv. 1-93; 931-1094;

- Horace, Odes: a tematic selection. Poetics (I 1, 38, III 30), symposium (I 18, 20, 27, IV 11; epist. I 5; Catull. 13), love (I 5, 13, 23, 25, III 26, IV 10), lyric and dedicatory epigram (III 13), carpe diem and philosophical themes (I 4, 9, 11, IV 7),  'politics' (I 37).
- Seneca, Tragedies: a selezione of some lyric passages from Phaedra (vv. 761-776, 959-988), and Troades  (371-380, 397-408).

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11-13, aula Tibiletti, Zamboni 38: from 30th September 2013

II. CORE COURSE
Latin Language (syntax); Latin Literature (history of Latin literature), Textual Criticism, Metres (elegiac couplet).

III. AUTHORS
1. Seneca the Elder: Preface to Controversiae, Book I.
2. Tacitus: Agricola
3. Vergil: Aeneid, Book VI

IV. CRITICAL ESSAYS (see. Bibliography)

SEMINARS (if not specified, hosted by the Dipartimento di Filologia Classica e Italianistica, 32 Zamboni Street, 3rd floor), from 2nd October.
Authors
1. Lectures from Cicero, Pro Archia: D. Pellacani [Friday 15.00-17.00, Aula II, via Zamboni 32], from 11.10.2013
2. Lectures from Tacitus, Agricola: A. Ziosi [Wedn. 13-15, Aula II] from 9.10.2012.
3. Lectures from Vergil (with metrical explanation): O. Fuà. [Friday 13.00-15.00, Aula II, via Zamboni 32], from 11.10.2013.

Latin Language: the students of the course of Letteratura latin can also attend the seminars of the course of Lingua latina:
1. Beginners  – first semester: to be defined.
2. Intermediate 1st level (morphology and elementary syntax) – first semester: A. Bertocchi [mon. 14-15 Aula II or thurs. 12-13 Aula mansarda]; from 7.10.2012.
3. Intermediate 2nd level (translation and syntax) – first semester: A. Castelli [thurs. 13-14, Aula II], from 10.10.2013.

Readings/Bibliography

I. SPECIAL FOCUS COURSE
Texts:  Vergil: Eneide, introduzione di A. La Penna, traduzione e note di R. Scarcia, Milano, Rizzoli BUR 2002, or Virgilio, Eneide, traduzione di M. Ramous, introduzione di G.B. Conte, commento di G. Baldon, Venezia, Marsilio, 1998. Seneca:  Le Troiane, introduzione, traduzione e note di F. Stok, Milano, Rizzoli BUR, 1999.
Readings: almost three of the following essays: G.B. Conte, Il paradosso virgiliano: un'epica drammatica e sentimentale, in Virgilio. L'epica del sentimento, Torino, Einaudi, 2007 (also published as  introduction to the Marsilio ed. of Vergil's Aeneid); D.Fowler - A. Barchiesi, Virgilian narative, in The Cambridge Companion to Virgil, edited by C. Martindale, Oxford 1997, pp. 259-281; J. O'Hara, Virgil's style, in The Cambridge Companion to Virgil, edited by C. Martindale, Oxford 1997, pp. 241-258; A. La Penna, Il potere, il destino, gli eroi, introduction to the BUR edition of Vergil's Aeneid; A. Perutelli, L'Eneide di Virgilio, in La poesia epica latina. Dalle origini all'età dei Flavi, Roma, Carocci, 2000, pp. 83-114; A. Salvatore, Lettura del II Libro dell'Eneide, in Lecturae Vergilianae a c. di M. Gigante, vol. III, L'Eneide, Napoli, Giannini, 1983, pp. 33-97; A. Traina, Pietas, in Enciclopedia Virgiliana, Roma, IEI, 1988, vol. IV, pp. 93-101.

II. CORE COURSE
Language: I. Dionigi - E. Riganti - L. Morisi, Il latino, Bari, Laterza 2011 is recommended. As for the syntax: A. Traina, Sintassi normativa della lingua latina, Bologna, Cappelli, 1993. See also A. Traina - G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino universitario, Bologna, Pàtron, 2007, chapt. II-VI.
Literature: G.B. Conte, Letteratura latina. Manuale storico dalle origini alla fine dell'impero romano, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2002, or M. Citroni, Letteratura di Roma antica, Bari, Laterza, 1997 or V. Citti - C. Casali - C.Neri, Gli autori nella letteratura latina. Disegno storico. Dalle origini alla tarda latinità, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2005.
Textual criticsm and Latin metres: A. Traina - G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino universitario, Bologna, Pàtron, 2007, chapt. VII-VIII.

III. AUTHORS
Seneca the Elder: Oratori e retori, Introduzione, traduzione e note a c. di A. Zanon dal Bo, Bologna, Zanichelli, vol. I, 1986 (or M. Winterbottom's Loeb edition with Latin text and English translation) (see online material).
Tacitus: Vita di Agricola. La Germania, introduzione e commento di L. Lenaz, traduzione di B. Ceva, Milano, BUR, 1990, or Agricola Introduzione, testo critico, traduzione e commento di P. Soverini, Alessandria, Ed. dell'Orso, 2004.
Vergilius: Eneide, Book VI, from Eneide, introduzione di A. La Penna, traduzione e note di R. Scarcia, Milano, Rizzoli BUR 2002, or Virgilio, Eneide, traduzione di M. Ramous, introduzione di G.B. Conte, commento di G. Baldon, Venezia, Marsilio, 1998.

Teaching methods

Lectures in class;
Seminars (where individual research will be discussed and essays and tests corrected).

Assessment methods

In a viva voce examination the students will be tested Latin phonetics, morphology, syntax and literature through the reading and translation of the Latin texts dealt with in class and listed in the programme.

Teaching tools

1. Online teaching materials: (see webpage above); handouts with the same content will be distributed in class
2. Seminars (cf. course content) devoted to the introduction to the bases of the Latin language (phonetics, morphology and syntax)

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Citti