Course syllabus

Latin 202/302 – Latin Literary Texts (15 points)

Semester 2 2016

Publius Ovidius Naso

Metamorphoses III

Lecturer: Christina Robertson

Email : crob077@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Room : 511 Level 5 1-11 Short St

Office hour : By appointment

Overview

Ovid's 15-book magnum opus has been continuously popular since antiquity. Its influence on Western art and literature has been immense, and it is a key text for our understanding of Greek and Roman mythology. Ovid's fluid, elegant, often witty verse rewards close attention, as does his narrative ingenuity. Book 3 is centred on Thebes, and Ovid's treatment of the material looks both back to Greek tragedy and forward to contemporary Roman political culture.

In this course we will selectively read extended passages from book 3, aiming to cover the majority of the book by the end of the semester.

Emphasis will be placed on both the understanding of the Latin and on the literary qualities and thematic content of the poem.

Class times

Monday 12-1 (Room 104-155, Old Choral Hall)

Wednesday 12-1 (Room 201E-512, HSB)

Thursday 2-3 (Room 810-332, 1-11 Short St)

Preparation for class

Before each class, prepare your own translation of the section we will be covering. Take note of any interesting grammatical constructions and literary or stylistic features for in-class discussion.

In class, we will work through the translation and discuss our interpretations of the grammar and of the literary and thematic aspects of the passage.

 Assessments

20% assignment – due in class Monday 12 September

30% essay – due in class Friday 14 October

50% exam (2 hours)

Prescribed text

There is no set textbook, but students may wish to get a copy of A. A. R. Henderson's text and commentary (Bristol Classical Press, 2^nd edition 1991).

Several Latin texts of the Metamorphoses are also freely available online, for example at thelatinlibrary.com and at the Perseus Project.

Commentaries:

W.S. Anderson, ed., Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-5). University of Oklahoma Press, 1997.

Hill, D.E. ed., Ovid: Metamorphoses I-IV. Aris & Phillips, 1985.

Simpson, Michael. The Metamorphoses of Ovid. University of Massachusetts Press, 2003.

Reference grammars:

B.H. Kennedy, Kennedy’s Revised Latin Primer. Ed. and rev. by J. Mountford. Longman, 1962 (any edition).

B.L. Gildersleeve and G. Lodge, Latin grammar. Bristol Classical Press, 1997 (any edition).

J.B. Greenough et al., Allen & Greenough's New Latin Grammar. Ginn & Company, 1903. Digitised by Dickinson College Commentaries, http://dcc.dickinson.edu/allen-greenough/