Studies in Ancient Literature

In this seminar we will read Horace’s complete works, partly in translation and partly in Latin (the proportions will vary from student to student), in roughly chronological order, possibly spending some extra time with the Odes (but this will depend on the interests of the group).  The goal is to familiarize students with an exceptionally influential body of poetry (and with some of the major trends in the scholarship) and to open up a space for exploring what one might want to make of Horace now.  Thus while the basic trajectory of the class will be set at the outset, the topics for and direction of our weekly discussions will be determined by the diverse preoccupations of the students around the table.  To balance out the “overview” dimension we will slow down each week and lavish special attention on one or two poems.  Therefore to participate in this class you must have some facility in Latin (at a minimum, enough to enable you to work through ca. 30-150 lines of Latin each week with the help of a translation).