Classical Studies 345: Schedule of Assignments

January 15-25 The Homeric World: Homer's representation of gods and heroes

• Jan. 15 and 17: The Pre-Trojan War Story and Its Sources: the Homeric Cycle (Handouts);
  The Mycenaean Age:Iliad (Review Bk I)
  Some helpful notes on the Pre Trojan War stories.
• Jan. 22: Iliad(Review Bks. II-VI; XVIII, XXI & XXIV); Outline of the Iliad
• Jan. 24 and 29: Finish discussion of the Iliad; more on the epic cycle of poems; begin Homer's Odyssey; Outline of the Odyssey
  (Review Bks. V, VI, IX, XII, & XXIII)
• Jan. 31: Final discussion on Homeric Epic and the Homeric cycle of poems; discuss term papers.

February 5-February 9: The Classical Age of Greece: the gods and heroes of Greek tragedy

• February 5: Aeschylus' Agamemnon
  Other sources for the Agamemnon
• February 9: Sophocles' Philoctetes (or Antigone)
  and Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis (or Medea)
  (First essay due February 12)
• February 12: First Essay

February 14-February 19 The Hellenistic World: the Hellenistic representation of gods and heroes; the depiction of women in myth

• Feb. 14: Argonautica of Apollonius, Book I & II
• Feb. 19: Argonautica, Bks. III and IV

February 21-March 5 The Roman World: Vergil's use of myth; Ovid's mythological and "love" themes

• Feb. 21: Vergil's Eclogue IV and the Aeneid, Bk. II
• Feb. 26 and 28: Aeneid, Bks. III , IV, VI, VII, & XII
• March 5: Ovid: Metamorphoses,
  Heroides, Ars Amatoria, and Remedia Amoris

March 12-March 26 Roman "Silver Age"

• March 12: Statius' Achilleid (Handout)
  and Lucian's Dialogues of the Gods (Handouts); Review the 'Classical Tradition"
• March 26 and 28: Lucan: a challenge to the epic tradition--Lucan's Pharsalia.

April 2-April 11 Late Latin works and the early Middle Ages: medieval influences on classical myth

• April 2: Allegorical reinterpretation of Myth: Servius, Macrobius, and Fulgentius (Handout)
• April 4: Review of the Trojan War: Quintus of Smyrna, excerpts from The Fall of Troy (Handout)
• April 9: Dares, Excidio Troiae Historia (Handout)
• April 11: Dictys, excerpts from Ephemeris Belli Troiani (Handout)
  Full outline and bibliography for final project due

April 16-23 The Medieval Epic and Romance: some comparisons with and transformations of classical myth

• April 16: Excerpts from Roman de Eneas, (Handout)
• April 18: Benoit, excerpts from Le Roman de Troie
• April 23: Guido delle Colonne, excerpts from Historia Destructionis Troiae (Handout); Dante's use of Myth; Review

April 25-April 30: Later Traditions

• April 25: Boccaccio, excerpts from Il Filostrato
  
• April 30 Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde ; Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida
  Term Paper Due

A research paper discussing the use of myth in literature will be due on April 30. Each student should make an appointment with me during the second week of classes in order to discuss specific topics for research projects. Essays should also be written on your specific, chosen topic. (Some exceptions can be made.)

Grade evaluations will be determined in accordance with the following proportions: class participation 20%; research paper 40%; essays 40%.