The Classics Department of Augustana College
World Literature 214 (L-Suffix)
Fall Term, 2002


Classical Lyric Poetry


Goals of the Course: The Main Idea and the Outcomes.

A. The main idea of the course is summed up in three one-word questions about classical lyric poetry.

1) Who? The lyric voice is "I." But who is that? What selves are being envisioned in these poems?

2) How? How do the forms of these poems function to create a self for that "I"? What are the forms of classical lyric that do that? And what, then, does an ancient poem do to us, for us?

3) When? Is then somehow now? Think of the tension between a person living on a given day in a given society and that same person as a human voice significant for humans in any time and place. What in these poems reflects a particular day and society? What is transcendent?

The work of the course--the readings, the exams, the other writing, and thus the grading--will always be founded on those three questions.

B. The outcomes of the course are twofold.

1) New, from the course itself, are what one can do afterward that one probably couldn't do before:


a) Identify forms of classical lyric when they turn up in a poem, whether classical or modern.

b) Identify and discuss the ostensible times and places of the voices of major classical lyrics.

c) Analyze how the forms, times and places, and voice combine to create a self.

2) General, for any graduate-to-be of Augustana, are more practice with the crucial triad:


a) Critical thinking (intellectual objectivity, problem-solving skill, construction and critique of arguments)

b) Research (via paper and electronic sources)

c) Writing (creation and communication of clear thought, effective argumentation)

The work of the course--mine and yours--will involve explicit attention to both kinds of outcome.


Logistics of the Course: Grading, Meeting Times, Texts, Attendance, Individual Projects

Grading

1) Two quizzes, 10% each
2) Prepared attendance at individual project sessions, 10%
3) Mid-term exam, 20%
4) Final exam, 25%
5) Individual project, 25%

Class Meeting Times: The Logistics of the Triad

 B Period

 Monday

 Wednesday

 Friday

 WL 214

 10:30 ­ 11:15

 10:00 ­ 11:15

 10:30 ­ 11:15

 LT 214

 10:00 ­ 11:15

 10:30 ­ 11:15

 10:00 ­ 11:15

 GK 214

 10:30 ­ 11:15

 10:30 ­ 11:15

 10:30 ­ 11:15

 Latin--one more session to be arranged. Greek--two more sessions to be arranged.



Textbooks

For all registrants: World Literature, and Greek, and Latin

 Translator

 Title

 Publisher

 ISBN
 Richmond Lattimore  Greek Lyrics  U. Chicago Press  0-226-46944-1
 Mary Barnard  Sappho, A New Translation  U. California Press  0-520-01117-7
 Guy Lee  Catullus, The Complete Poems  Oxford U. Press  0-19-283587-4
 David West  Horace, The Complete Odes and Epodes  Oxford U. Press  0-19-283942-X
 Peter Green  Ovid, The Erotic Poems  Penguin  0-14-044360-6


Additional texts for GK 214/314

 Editor

 Title

 Publisher

 ISBN
 H. M. Tyler  Selections from the Greek Lyric Poets  A. D. Caratzas  0-89214-120-1
 Liddell & Scott  Abridged Greek-English Lexicon  Oxford U. Press  0-19-910207-4

Additional texts for LT 214/314

 Editor

 Title

 Publisher

 ISBN
 Daniel Garrison  The Student's Catullus (2nd edition, paper)  U. of Oklahoma Press  0-8061-2763-5
 Simpson  Cassell's Latin-English Dictionary  Macmillan  0-02-013340-5
 McGill  Barron's Card Guide to Latin Grammar    

Web Sites for Other Readings

Perseus authors (especially for Pindar)
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/perscoll?collection=Greco-Roman

Diotima authors (especially for Propertius and Sulpicia)
http://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/


Definitions:

Classical. Overall: in time, from the period 700 B.C.E. to 476 C.E.; in location, from the Greek- and Latin-speaking areas; in culture, from texts originally written in Greek or Latin. Our focus within the Classical period: the Lyric Age of Greece (700 ­ 490 B.C.E.) and the Golden Age of Rome (63 B.C.E. - 14 C.E.).

Lyric Poem. One originally sung or composed as if to be sung, and also monodic or with the prominence of a single personal voice.

Prepared attendance. Prepared attendance means to be present at an Individual Project discussion section unless you have a good excuse, and to show a reasonable preparation of the day's assignment. Each Unprepared or Absence (after the first) lowers the grade in this realm by half a letter - from A to A-, then to B+, then to B, and so on. If I ever think your preparation hasn't been adequate, I'll let you know, either with a kind, discrete, but obviously regretful Tsk-Tsk in class, or privately. If you had to miss class, or unavoidably could not prepare, please let me know why.

Individual Projects

1. World Literature. In the weekly discussion sections, everyone will gradually build a series of 1-to-2-to-3-page projects, then integrate them to constitute a term paper of 8 to 10 pages. The overall topic of the project is My Three Poems. The whole project is detailed on the weekly assignment sheets. The essence:


a. Presentation of the form and context of a Greek lyric poem not discussed in class

b. Presentation of the form and context of a Roman lyric poem not discussed in class

c. Presentation of the form and context of a non-Classical lyric poem not discussed in class

d. A comparison and conclusion

Each week in our discussion session we'll try to learn from and help each other. Each week everyone will write a brief (page or two) meditation or draft that will evolve into the completed project.

2. Greek: The project is:


a. Your journal of interlinear translations and compositions
b. All of your translation for the term, revised, polished, and typed/printed;
c. A FWN=H| performance of a lyric poem, in meter.

3. Latin: The project is:


a. Your journal of interlinear translations and compositions
b. All of your translation for the term, revised, polished, and typed/printed
c. A viva voce performance of a lyric poem, in meter.



Connecting with me in the autumn of 2002.

 

Scheduling.  My routine office hours are during period 7 (2:30 - 3:20) MWF.  Best of all--let's set up an appointment for your own best time. Here are my standing commitments this term. The unscheduled times are just that: open for lots of things. If I don't know you're coming, I could be many places besides my office: the library (mainly levels 1 and 4), Java 101, some dank committee room, the snack bar, pretending to exercise while mallard-watching on the slough...so please, make a connection.

My Core Appointments for Fall Term 2002 - 03
Time  Monday   Tuesday   Wednesday   Thursday   Friday 

8:30 - 9:45
(A Period)

 WL 212
Mythology
 

 WL 212
Mythology
 

 WL 212
Mythology

10:00 - 11:15
(B Period)

 WL 214
Classical Lyric
 

 WL 214
Classical Lyric

 Convocation
10:30 - 11:30

 WL 214
Classical Lyric

11:30 - 12:45
(C Period)

GK 101 Classical Greek
 

GK 101 Classical Greek

Committees
11:30 - 12:30

GK 101 Classical Greek
1:00 - 2:15
(D Period)
         

2:30 - 3:20
(7th Period)

 Office
 

 Office
 

 Office
           

 

Please send communications about this page to:

Email to Thomas Banks, Chair, Department of Classics

By post:

Thomas Banks
Department of Classics
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL 61201-2296

By telephone: 309-794-7240
By fax: 309-794-7702

 




The Overview Course Schedule

This is indeed an overview. The details come in weekly supplements for the class on:

A. The Individual Project lab assignments


B. The details of Core assignments


1. Test and Paper Announcements
2. Readings
3. Main Lecture/Discussion Focuses
4. Key Terms to Learn


1. September 4 ­ 6: The Start of Classical Lyric: Self, Home, Homeland, Friends, and War.

Wednesday: Introductions

Friday: Archilochus (Lattimore pages 1-6)
Callinus (Lattimore page 7)
Tyrtaeus (Lattimore pages 13-16)


2. September 9 - 13: Classical Lyric, Stage Two: Self, Home, Homeland, Friends, and Love.

Monday: Sappho (Barnard, all, and Lattimore pages 38-42)

Wednesday: Semonides (Lattimore pages 8-12)
Hipponax (Lattimore pages 12-13)
Mimnermus (Lattimore pages 16-17)

Friday: Phocylides (Lattimore pages 23-24)
Solon (Lattimore pages 18-23)


3. September 16 - 20:

Monday: Terpander (Lattimore page 33)
Alcman (Lattimore pages 33-36)
Stesichorus (Lattimore pages 36-37)
Ibycus (Lattimore pages 37-38)

Wednesday: Alcaeus (Lattimore pages 42-45)
Anacreon (Lattimore pages 45-47)
Praxilla (Lattimore page 49)
Corinna (Lattimore pages 50-53)

Friday: Quiz #1


4. September 23 ­ 27 : Classical Lyric, Stage Three: The Self of Winners-Victory Songs

Monday: Pindar, Olympian 1 (Perseus web site)
Pindar, Pythian 10 (Perseus web site)

Wednesday: Pindar, Nemean 10 (Perseus web site)
Pindar, Isthmian 10 (Perseus web site)

Friday: Bacchylides (Lattimore pages 75-82)


5. September 30 ­ October 4

Monday: Pindar (Lattimore pages 58-63)

Wednesday: Review: Questions of Self Definition, Literary Form, and Thematic Transcendence

Friday: Mid-term


6. October 7 - 11: Birds of Rome-Sparrow, Eagle, Dove

Monday: Intro to the Romans

Wednesday: Catullus: selections specified on the weekly study guide

Friday: Catullus: selections specified on the weekly study guide


7. October 14 - 18:

Monday: Catullus: selections specified on the weekly study guide

Wednesday: Sulpicia (Diotima web site)

Friday: Horace, Odes, Book I (pages 25-55)


8. October 21 - 25:

Monday: Horace, Odes, Book II (pages 56-75)

Wednesday: Quiz #2 (Homecoming pre-epinician)

Friday: Horace, Odes, Book III (pages 76-108)


9. October 28 ­ November 1:

Monday: Ovid, Amores Book 1, pages 86-110)

Wednesday: Ovid, Amores Book 2 pages 111-136)

Friday: Ovid, Amores Book 3 pages 137-65)


10. November 4 -8:

Monday: Ovid, Art of Love, Book 1 (pages 166-90))

Wednesday: Ovid, Art of Love, Book 3 (pages 214-38)

Friday: Coda: Retrospect and Conclusion


November 11: (Monday) Final exam, 9:00 A.M.

November 14: (Thursday) Individual projects due - in Banks's office, Old Main 126, by 10:00 A.M.