Course Introduction

Aims of the Course:  The purpose of this course is to introduce students with two or more years’ experience with Latin to the forms, rhythms, music and meanings of Latin lyric poetry.  We will concentrate on the lyric poems of Catullus and Horace (1^st cent. BCE to 1^st cent. CE), although a serious attempt will be made to place these poets and their work within the developments and variations of Greek and Latin lyric over several centuries—therefore, readings range chronologically from Sappho and Pindar (in English) to Plautus’ cantica to the lyrics of Seneca, Petronius, Statius, Prudentius, Boethius and medieval and later lyricists.  We will touch briefly on other genres than lyric, including iambics, hendecasyllabic and elegiac verse.

Other Course Details:Readings should be read carefully and understood thoroughly before the day for which they are assigned:  please feel free to come see me during my office hours if you are having problems with the assignment.  Be prepared to read aloud fluently any part of the poem(s) assigned for the day.  Working together with other students on grammar, understanding/construction, rhythm and pronunciation is encouraged.  To give you practice with some of the rhythms and meters of these poems, ten poetry readings will be recorded by you throughout the semester, on tape, and handed in to be listened to and critiqued.  (The poems to be read aloud for these recordings will be handed out, and translation and scansion will be gone over, in class before your recording is due.  You are responsible for translating and interpreting them, however.)

IF YOU HAVE ANY DISABILITY that may prevent you from full participation in any of the activities of this class, please let me know as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made.  All activities will be wheelchair accessible.  Readers, tutors and extra help sessions are available, and homework may be written out in Braille if necessary or convenient.

Office of Disability Services at Barnard College
Office of Disability Services at Columbia University