Latin Authors : Poetry

Teacher(s)

Kachuck Aaron;

Language

French
> English-friendly

Prerequisites

LGLOR 1142 and LGLOR 1143 or a course deemed equivalent by the lecturer.

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

A study of poetical works of Latin authors.
This course deals with the following themes:
1. Translation of works of Latin authors of the classical period;
2. Explanation of specific grammatical points (morphology and syntax);
3. A first approach to poetry writing and study of metres;
4. A commentary designed to put the work into context and to highlight the documentary and human values contained therein.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of the course the student will be able to analyse grammatically, to translate and comment upon texts of average difficulty. He will be able to explain the context, and to bring out the human values expressed therein.

Content

The theme chosen for 2021–2022 (Q1 and Q2) is ‘The Metamorphoses of the Epyllion: Love, Death, and Transformation’. The authors chosen are Catullus (poem 64), Ovid (Metamorphoses X and XI, 1–66, covering the 'book of Orpheus' and Orpheus’ subsequent death), and Apuleius (Metamorphoses IV, 28–VI, 24, the inset tale of Cupid and Psyche). After introductions situating the author and his work in their contexts, there will be a grammatical, literary, historical, and cultural commentary on the text, and, where relevant, a poetic (or prosodic) and metrical analysis of the work.

Teaching methods

Seminar including both translation and discussion. The translations prepared by the student will be corrected and commented during the course. If necessary specific grammar points will be revised.

Evaluation methods

Participation at the seminar (5%) including translation, grammatical analysis, and literary analysis of passages discussed in class, and two written tests. The first is held during the session of January, covers material covered in Q1 and includes a) translation of a passage or passages from Latin to French drawn from course-readings (15%) and grammatical questions on that passage or those passages (15%), and b) a ‘Guided Essay’ focused on a passage or passages drawn from course-readings, but also demanding integration of literary, historical, and stylistic knowledge acquired throughout the course (25%). The second is held during the session of June, covers material covered in Q1 and Q2, and includes a) translation of a passage or passages from Latin to French drawn from course-readings in Q2 (10%) and grammatical questions on that passage or those passages (10%), and b) a ‘Guided Essay’ focused on a passage or passages drawn from course-readings in Q1 and Q2, but also demanding integration of literary, historical, and stylistic knowledge acquired throughout the course (20%).

Other information

English-friendly course: course taught in French but offering facilities in English.

Online resources

Via the Moodle site of the course

Bibliography

Une bibliographie est disponible en ligne via le site Moodle du cours.

Faculty or entity

EHAC