Classical Backgrounds to English Literature

Personal Question

2012-01-12T18:21:00.001+02:00

Is your worldview more Aeschylan? Sophoclean? or Euripidean?

Yes, I'm serious.

Think about it!

Final Exam Instructions!

2012-01-10T15:05:00.002+02:00

Below, a preview of our final exam. There may be some small changes, but we can discuss them and any other questions you may have during our class sessions.

Yourtake home exam has two parts – consisting of one mandatory question on Homer inPart I, and three questions on the Greek dramatists, Plato and Aristotle, andVirgil in Part II. In Part II, you will have a number of questionsfrom which to choose the questions you decide to answer.

Besure to use all resources at your disposal—class notes, as well, as, of course,the texts themselves. The more details you bring in your answers,including quotes from texts, the more effective your exam willbe. You need not worry about citation or footnotes on the exam.

Don’tbe afraid to address the questions on your own terms. Answer thequestions in such a way so that you can give detailed and comprehensiveanswers. Don’t just take the assumptions of the question atface-value; make the question your own. If you find that yourunderstanding of a question has led you to a brief or superficial answer, thenyou can be sure that you have understood the question in a less than satisfactoryway. Remember, you can be ‘right,’ and still provide an incompleteand thus unsatisfactory exam. This means that the quality of yourexam will be reflected in how you understand the questions: you may actuallyhave to show that understanding in the opening paragraph of eachessay. Choose questions in such a way that you can show off thedepth and detail of your knowledge about our field of study and its authors. Makeyour answers compelling through citation of relevant passages to support your argument. Ifthe question includes a citation from one of the class texts, don’t just writeabout that citation, but use it so that you can demonstrate your knowledge ofthe work as a whole. Each of your answers should be between two andfour pages (for the meticulous: Times New Roman, 12 pitch,double-spaced). If you have questions, you may contact me at Kolbrener@gmail.com.

Medea and Play-doh!

2012-01-06T19:56:00.000+02:00

For the coming week, we will be reading Euripides' Medea. How does Euripides distinguish himself from predecessors? How does he modify the inheritance received from Homer, Aeschylus and Sophocles? What are his conceptions of the gods? What are his conceptions of the feminine? Is Medea a character with whom we sympathize? Is Medea, as some critics have argued, a figure of proto-feminism.

We will be reading - starting on Wednesday - the Republic in the Penguin edition, translated by Desmond Lee. Two copies of the text are available on reserve in the English Faculty Library. Please read pages 70-106 (376c-403c), 200-264 (471c-521c), 359-378 (594c-608b). The numbers in paranthesis are the manuscript pages for the Republic - if you are reading from a different edition.

In the first section of your reading, what care does Plato say an educator must extend in teaching the youth of Athens? How does Plato say poets should represent the gods? Does Plato in these discussions show himself as a representative of a culture of Nomos or Phusis? In the second of the sections, what does Plato mean by the beautiful? What does Plato mean by 'an unchanging form of beauty?' What does he understand to be the difference between one who is merely a 'seer of sights' and one who judges 'the eternal character of the beautiful'? What is the difference between knowledge and opinion? Who claims the former? who the latter? How does poetry as a genre fit within Plato's Republic? In the final section: how many different kinds of bed are there? Is Plato serious? How does this discussion fit in with his view of poetry?

I am Oedipus!

2011-12-22T11:57:00.001+02:00

For our next class meetings on January 2 and 4, we will be reading Sophocles, Oedipus the King. The following week, we will be reading Medea by Euripides.

Aeschylus

2011-12-16T10:26:00.002+02:00

For Monday, we will continue with our discussion of Agamemnon. For Wednesday, we will look at the last one hundred lines (or so) of Libation Bearers together in class, and then move on to a discussion of Eumenides.

Odyssey

2011-11-23T20:03:00.000+02:00

As discussed, we will be looking at Book One of Homer's Odyssey for next week. With what does Homer begin? Who are the characters upon which Homer focuses? Does Homer give us a sense of an ending at the beginning of the Odyssey as he does in the Iliad? If you get the chance, look at Books 2-4: we will take the opportunity in class to look at the end of Book 4, and Nestor's conversation with Telemechaus. We may get the chance to look at Book 5 as well - which you should read carefully! Our reading of Homer will continue on with Wednesday with Book 9.

Homer Iliad: Book 6

2011-11-10T12:25:00.003+02:00

We hope to continue with Homer's Iliad next week, starting with the discussion of Book 6 and 9 for Monday. Our readings will continue for Wednesday and probably the following Monday, Books 18, 22 and 24.

For Book 6 : How is the culture of Troy different from the culture we have seen among the Greeks? What is present in Troy which is not present in the Greek context? Does the way Homer represents the relationship between Hector and Andromache give us insight into the way Homer conceives of the conceptions of glory that dominate the Iliad?

Homer

2011-11-03T10:00:00.000+02:00

We will continue our discussion of the Greek representation of the gods in our next class. Is www.theoi.com useful? If anyone has found any other worthwhile online resources on the topic, please feel free to post them. Who are the Titans? the Olympians? the Muses? Who is Athena? What is the story of her origins?

In order to begin our discussion of more serious matters in Homer, we have to first have a clear sense of the story in the Iliad: what is the Trojan War? Who fought in the war? How did it start? For what reason? Where are we when the story begins? Why are Agamemnon and Achilles fighting? Who is right?

As discussed, we will be using the Fagles tradition of the Iliad - be sure that the edition you are reading from has the appropriate translation. If not, the Norton editions on our shelf on the library in SAL are available for photo-copying.

For Monday we will read Book 1; for Wednesday, we will likely turn our attention to Books 6 and 9 in the Iliad.

More Secrets of the Parthenon

2011-11-03T08:14:00.001+02:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLCW0zKR4xk

Parthenon

2011-11-02T17:53:00.001+02:00

Check out the Parthenon Galleries in the British Museum

Our Favorite Authors (subject to change)

2011-11-01T14:29:00.000+02:00

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4330053/WDK

First Day Feelings and Expectations

2011-11-01T10:35:00.001+02:00

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4327355/WDK

Welcome

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000+02:00

Welcome to the website of 191 - Classical Literary Backgrounds. Please check the site regularly for important information and updates about our studies.

Important documents from the course can be found here. Your syllabus and handout for our first class are already posted. A good place to research - this may be in lieu of Hamilton - backgrounds to classical mythology is here.