In this course we will read a range of
ancient and medieval texts to get acquainted with some of the genres, myths,
themes, and characters that influenced Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton and a host
of other authors from the Middle Ages to the present day. The course will
address the social, historical, religious, and technological issues that are
crucial for understanding the various roles writing, reading, and
(mis)interpretation have played in the development of literature and the
scholarly discipline of literary studies. The reading assignments will include The Epic of Gilgamesh (one of the
earliest works of imaginative literature on record), selections from the Hebrew
Bible and the Gospels, Homer’s The
Odyssey, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King
and Antigone, selections from Virgil’s
Aeneid, selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and poetry by
Archilochus, Sappho, Catullus, and Horace. We will wrap up with an exploration
of the sources of the Middle English romance and the King Arthur legend, reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Throughout
the semester we will examine the many ways these early stories have been adapted
in visual art, films, comix, computer games, and other forms of cultural
production. The course will also give you a basic introduction to some central
problems in literary research: establishing the text, relating the text to its
historical context, dealing with translations, and discerning the strengths and
limitations of our interpretive methodologies.
The format of the course will be primarily lecture with some class discussion
and small-group activities. Semester grades will be determined based on
in-class written responses to the readings, quizzes, two examinations during
the semester and a final examination.
Required Texts (please wait until after the first class
meeting to purchase these texts)
Gilgamesh: A New English Version (Atria Books, 2006); Homer, The Odyssey (Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
1998); Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays
(Penguin, 2000); Virgil, The Aeneid
(Penguin, 2008); Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight (Norton Critical Edition, 2009). Other readings will be provided for you as downloadable files
in the Resources section of our Laulima site.
You will also need a copy of the Bible, but I am not specifying one for you to
buy. We will be comparing translations in class, so whatever version you can
find will work.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course you should be able to
- identify major authors and
literary works from the ancient world
- situate ancient texts in
their historical and social contexts, accounting for formal, stylistic,
thematic, and other relevant features in relation to these contexts
- identify key events in
ancient history
- recognize key genres,
myths, motifs, and characters Western literature has inherited from the
ancient world
- identify and accurately
employ basic concepts in literary theory
- write clear, coherent
interpretive responses to literary texts
Assignments
Your grade will be based on your performance in the following
assignments:
Two Examinations and
a Final Examination
(100 points each, 300 points total)
Eight Quizzes
(20 points each, 160 points total)
At
the end of the term, I will drop your lowest quiz.
Six In-Class
Responses to Assigned Reading
(10 points each; 60 points total)
Total class points (minus one quiz): 500