Fasti: Syllabus of Activities

Fasti: Syllabus of Activities

Week 12 (4.15): A Renaissance of Epigram

  • Scholarship: Livingston-Nisbet, “Epigram in the Second Sophistic” (118–139); Mondin, L. 2019. “The Late Latin Literary Epigram (Third to Fifth Centuries CE), in Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Ancient Epigram, 575–596. [available on-line]
  • Latin: Read through the very selective “Late Antique Anthology” of Ausonius, Claudian (you’ll see there’s a point where you can chose among several epigrams on a crystal), Damasus’ Epitaphs, Symphosius’ Riddles,  and Avianus’ Fabulae.
    • Duck into the OCD or the Neue Pauly to learn a little background about each of the authors that you read.
    • After you read Ausonius’ preface, you can read more about bimodal or segmented sleep here; if you really want to dive into its implications for Ausonius, poetics, and ancient literary culture, you can begin with McGill 2014.
  • English or Latin (and Greek): Avianus’ Fabulae (as many as you like); of, if you would rather read some Greek, read as many poems by Agathias as you like. There’s vast amount more that you could read. I encourage you to identify a poem or author from the secondary reading and explore further.

Week 13 (4.22): The Renaissance Epigram (through 1600)

  • Scholarship: Sullivan, J.P. 1991. “The Renaissance: Martial & Humanism“, etc. in Martial: an Unexpected Classics, 262–291.
    • Read one of these: Gaisser, J. 1993. “Imitatio: Catullan Poetry from Martial to Johannes Secundus” in Catullus & his Renaissance Readers [read around as your interests dictate]; Boyle, A. J. 1995. “Martialis Redivivus: Evaluating the Unexpected Classic.” Latomus 24: 250–269; Phillips, J.E. 1963. “Elizabeth I as a Latin Poet: An Epigram on Paul Melissus” Renaissance News 16.4: 289–298; Springer, C. 2007. “Martin’s Martial: Reconsidering Luther’s Relationship with the Classics” International Journal of the Classical Tradition 14.1/2: 23–50 [read as much as you wish but at least Luther’s two epigrams and enough context to be comfortable with discussing them]
  • Latin: Politian, Pontano, more. Focus on authors before 1600 for this week, esp. the Italian humanists.
    • The field is vast and I invite you to auto-anthologize as you wish; you may read in English and, when you find a poem that strikes your fancy, read it in Latin. For Pontano, focus more on the Baiae poems than the epitaphs.
    • You can find additional readings and options in McFarlane’s reader, Renaissance Latin Poetry.
  • In-Class: Humanistic Commentary: Niccolò Perotti’s Cornu Copiae and/or Erasmus’ edition of the Disticha Catonis

Week 14 (4.29): Neo-Latin Epigram & Epigram in Modern Reception

  • Scholarship: Cummings, R. “Epigram” in A Guide to Neo-Latin Literature, 83–95; “Epigram and Occasional Poetry” in The Oxford Handbook of Neo-Latin Verse; Livingstone-Nisbet, 2010. “Ancient Epigram in Reception”, 140–162.
    • Optional:  Sullivan, J.P. 1991. “Survival & Revival” in Martial: an Unexpected Classics, 291–312. 
  • Latin: More, Owen, etc. [I’ll add some Holberg if I can get the vocabulary up on the Bridge] This field is vast and I invite you to auto-anthologize as you wish; you can read in English and, when you find a poem that strikes your fancy, read it in Latin; but be sure to read at least two poems from each early author, and the entire last page.

Assignments and other Activities

Pastores

Lemmatization Project

Commentary Project

Note Project

***

Week 1 (1.21): Introductions—Local Origins: Saturnine & Epitaphic Epigrams and the Long, Small Tail

  • A farrago of early epigram; metrical orientation; seminar construction

Week 2 (1.28): From Hellenistic Epigram to Early Latin Epigram

  • Consider the Complementary Genre that you will read alongside our epigrammatic practice this semester. You need not begin this week, as you focus on orienting yourself with epigram — but you are certainly welcome to do so!
  • Meter Practice: complete as much of the worksheet, Scansion Practice: Elegiac Couplets, as possible
    • Since we will be reading Latin poetry (almost) exclusively this semester, knowledge of Latin metrics will prove greatly helpful in understanding the Latin of the poems—and essential to appreciating the aesthetic craft of what we read. It has the added bonus of making the reading of Latin poetry significantly easier.
    • Mementote: if by this meeting your comfort with scanning elegiacs has improved that represents success; the cloze, arrangment, and composition sections are designed to help you start to consider how meter and meaning interact in a poem and will be very valuable; but if you need to practice more scansion this week and hold the structured composition for the future, that is acceptable [additional resources available at Cursus]
  • Memento: claim a set of Holberg’s Epigrammata and begin lemmatizing! Your contribution is due at the end of February.
  • Scholarship: Livingstone-Nisbet, “Introduction: Rock, Paper, Scissors” and “The Inscriptional Beginnings of Literary Epigram” (2010), 1-47.
  • English: A Small Garland of Greek Epigrams: Posidippus, Callimachus, and Posidonius (in Fain).
  • Latin: Q. Catulus 1; the epigrams (?) of Cicero and Caesar; as many of Catullus’ 44 hendecasyllabic poems as you can (you can find a list of poems by meter here). Of course, if you’d like to read more of the polymetrica, please do! The several in scazons (i.e., choliambs) would be particularly relevant.
    • You may use any Latin text of Catullus that you wish, but be sure to consult a commentary as you go.
    • If you’re feeling adventurous, I invite you to use the In Usum Delphini edition. What’s In Usum Delphini? Let active-Latin pioneer Terence Tunberg explain.
    • You can use The Bridge to create vocabulary lists for Catullus poems; here, for example, the 33 words in Catullus 10 that are not present in the DCC Latin Core (and the 86 words from the poem that do appear in the Core). Remember that The Bridge includes links to Logeion, which should be your go-to source for on-line dictionaries.
    • If you need to review the basics of Latin meter, the best place to start is this tutorial, part of Turpin’s DCC Commentary on Ovid, Amores 1, from basics to their implementation in the elegiac couplet.
      • If you need more guidance on Latin syllabification and quantity, visit LatinTutorial.com.
    • For a deeper dive into Latin metrics, from vowel quantity to particular meters, peruse Allen & Greenough §602–629
    • For more practice in Latin meter, visit Hexameter.co, with which you can practice identifying longa and brevia in the comfy — and lightly gamified — environs of the hexameter.

Week 3 (2.4): Catullus II, the Neoterics, and “Augustan” Epigram

Week 4 (2.11): Priapea (with a dash of Petronius & Seneca)

Week 5 (2.18): Martial I: Liber Spectaculorum and the Beginnings of the Epigrammaton Libri

Week 6 (2.25): Martial II: Poet & Patron

  • Latin: 
    • W&W 10-17 (= 4.30, 9.18, 12.15, 6.21, 7.36, 8.55, 10.64, 12.31)
    • praefationes to Books 2, 8,  9, 12 + first three poems of each of these books; 3.1-4 and 3.58 (the longest of Martial’s epigrams).
    • Stella poems in Martial (1.7, 1.61, 4.6, 8.78, 12.3) in Latin and Statius Silvae 1.2 (in English if necessary) 
  • English: Martial, Books 1-3; Statius, Silvae: Prefaces to each authorial book (1-4); I encourage you to read at least the preface for Silvae 1 in Latin.
  • Scholarship:
    • After you read 3.58, read BMCR 2010.12.68 (read the main review and, at least, the extended summaries of at least the first 3 “sessions”)
    • “Functions of Martial’s Epigrams” from Nauta, R. 2002. Poetry for Patrons. Literary Communication in the Age of Domitian. 
      • Compare with W&W “Martial & Domitian” (9-15)
      • And the treatment of Patrons and Addressee in Statius (glossed here)
    • Optional: 
      • Saller, R. 1983. “Martial on Patronage and Literature“. CQ 33: 246–57.
      • White, P. 1975. “The Friends of Martial, Statius, and Pliny, and the Dispersal of Patronage.” HSCPh79: 265-300.

Week 7 (3.4): Martial III: Epigrams in (and around) the City

  • Latin: W&W 18-36 (10.47, 12.18, 12.57, 2.14, 4.67, 6.88, 7.53, 12.68, 5.24, 8.53, 10.50, 3.87, 6.42, 3.12, 7.20, 8.6, 8.23, 9.25, 12.48)
    • With 6.42, please read Statius Silvae 1.5 [English] or [Latin]
  • English: Martial, Book 4-6
  • Scholarship: Roman, L. 2010. “Martial and the City” JRS 100: 88–117; Rimell, V. 2008: Martial’s Rome: Empire and Ideology of Epigram, Ch. 5 (“The Space of Epigram”)
    • Optional: Sullivan, J. P. 1991. “Flavian Architecture & Martial’s Rome”, pp. 147-155; Howell, P.  “Martial and Roman Social Life”, 73-91; Laurence, R. “Literature and the Spatial Turn: Movement and Space in Martial’s Epigrams,” in Rome, Ostia, Pompeii: Movement and Space, edited by Ray Laurence and David J. Newsome; Michael Dewar, “Sleep, noise and friendship: the villa suburbana of Julius Martialis” in Damien Nelis, Manuel Royo, Lire la Ville: fragments d’une archéologie littéraire de Rome antique.

Spring Break

Week 8 (3.18): Martial IV: Rogues & The Skoptic Impulse

  • Martial 10 Commentary Project Selection Due: Select one or more epigrams from Martial 10 that you find personally and/or intellectually compelling and that you deem worthy of commentary. Aim for a total of <20 for undergraduates, and >30 lines for graduate students, whether that encompasses one poem or several (although a few more couplets would be fine).
  • Begin working on your Martial 10 commentary.
  • Latin: W&W 56-57, 59-77 (3.82, 9.73, 9.80, 6.53, 8.74, 9.15, 10.16, 12.32, 3.52, 3.57, 6.72, 3.44, 7.95, 3.8, 4.87, 6.74, 7.39, 12.54, 3.34, 3.78, 7.79)
  • English: Martial, Book 7-9
  • Scholarship: Sullivan, J. P. 1991. “Humanity & Humor; Imagery & Wit” in Martial. The Unexpected Classic, 211–252; Williams, C. 2007. “Juxtaposition: the Attraction of Opposites” in Martial: The World of Epigram, 106–138.

Week 9 (3.25): Martial V: Gifts

  • Continue working on your Martial 10 commentary.
  • Latin: 13.1–5, 13–14, 28–30, 63–64, 74–75, 82, 108; 14.1–10, 46–47, 56–58, 71–74, 134, 173–200, 203–205, 223
  • English: Martial, Book 13 & 14
  • Scholarship: Goldhill, Simon. “What Is Ekphrasis For?” Classical Philology 102.1: 1-19; Blake, Sarah, “Martial’s Natural History: The Xenia and Apophoreta and Pliny’s Encyclopedia” Arethusa 44.3: 353–377; Morgan, L., 2007.  “Neither Fish nor Fowl? Metrical Selection in Martial’s “Xenia”” HSCP 103: 385–406; Hinds, S. 2007. “Martial’s Ovid / Ovid’s Martial.” JRS 97: 139–146 (read rest at some point); “Introduction” to P. Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste (1984)
    • Optional: Squire, Michael. 2010. “Making Myron’s Cow Moo? Ecphrastic Epigram and the Poetics of Simulation.” AJP 131.4: 589–634; 
    • Chinn, Christopher. 2007. “Before Your Very Eyes: Pliny Epistulae 5.6 and the Ancient Theory of Ekphrasis” CP 102.3: 265–280;
    • Chinn, Christopher. 2005. “Statius Silv. 4.6 and the Epigrammatic Origins of Ekphrasis” CJ 100.3: 247–263.

Week 10 (4.1): Martial VI: Wives and Other Ladies

  • Latin: W&W 37-41, 84-86 (1.102, 3.76, 4.20, 8.54 (53), 10.68, 9.29, 10.64, 10.67); S-B 3.70-72 and 3.93.
  • English: Martial, Book 10-12
  • Scholarship: Sullivan, J. P. 1991. “Martial’s Misogyny, pp. 147-155; 197-207; Spisak, A. 1994. “Martial’s Theatrum of Power Pornography.” SyllClass 5: 79-89; Hinds, S. 2007. “Martial’s Ovid / Ovid’s Martial.” JRS 97. You might also revisit:  Richlin, “Literature Based on Invective: Invective Against Old Women, Priapic Poetry, and Epigram” in The Garden of Priapus (1992), 116-127.
    • Optional: Williams, C. A. 2002. “Sit nequior omnibus libellis: Text, Poet, and Reader in the Epigrams of Martial.” Philologus 146: 150-171; 
    • Sullivan, J. P., “Martial’s Sexual Attitudes” in Martial. The Unexpected Classic, 185-210; 
    • Morelli, A. M. 2009. “Sighs of Lost Love: The Rufus Cycle in Martial (1.68 and 1.106).” CP 104: 34–49. 
  • Here’s a Doc which lists the pastores‘ discussion questions/thoughts. Please feel free to have a look and contemplate them and/or add your own thoughts and responses. The more thoughts the better! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v2cvxmW6vEbufAQomPSfVSIO8_ftq7BWLuxkF5Eupyg/edit?usp=sharing

Week 11 (4.8): Martial VII: The Book

  • Latin: Martial, Book 10 (as much as you can, using the commentary) and Pliny 3.21 (on the death of Martial)
  • English: whatever of Martial 10 that you cannot read in Latin.
  • Scholarship: Holzberg, N. “Martial, Ovid, and the Book“l ; Lorenz, S. 2019. “Micro to Macro: Martial’s Twelve Books of Epigrams“, Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Ancient Epigram, 521–540.
    • Recommended: Fowler, D. 1995. “Martial and the Book.” Ramus 24: 31-58
    • Optional: Nauta, “Modes of Reception of the Published Books” in Poetry for Patrons, 131-142
  • A preliminary Question to Ponder
    • To what extent, on a scale of 1-10, do you think Book 10 exhibits clear and meaningful organization? (1 being a random of collection of poems, and 10 being a collection in which if any poem were moved, meaning would be lost).
  • Pre-class activity instructions: 
    • Choose about 10 lines of poetry (from one to several poems) that characterizes the organization of the book, stand apart from the organization of the book, or in some way engages with the book as a whole. Be prepared to translate it in class.
    • Consider the Martialian book with, alongside, and/or against your Personal Genre that you’ve been reading this semester
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