Admission requirements
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal
Description
Perhaps no genre in ancient literature is more difficult to pin down than epigram. From its origin in archaic Greece as a form of inscription, found in epitaphs for tombs or in dedications for votive objects, to a staggering variety in poetic form and content in the Hellenistic and Roman eras, ancient epigram is characterized by evolution and experimentation. In this seminar we will grapple with the flourishing of this versatile and productive genre in Roman literature, and we will engage with a wide variety of different authors spanning hundreds of years. From the poetae noui, for whom the Hellenistic epigram was a key inspiration in their programme of poetic innovation in mid-first century Rome, to Martial, perhaps the greatest master of epigram, to the continued vivacity of epigram in Late Antiquity in the hands of writers such as Ausonius, epigram is one of the most successful and enduring genres of Roman literature. We will also explore the fascinating ‘sub-literary’ manifestations of epigram, such as the Carmina Priapeia and the verse graffiti scrawled on the walls of Pompeii.
To cope with the abundance of epigram, we will focus on a theme intrinsically at the heart of epigram: materiality. Epigram began as an inscribed form, a symptom of the ‘epigraphic habit’ of the ancient world. While the emergence of epigram as a literary genre in its own right in the Hellenistic period meant that epigram now appeared independently of the kinds of objects it had once inscribed – tombs, monuments, vessels, artworks – the thematic connection of the genre to objects was never lost. Epigram is thus perhaps the best genre to discuss the materiality of poetry, with epigram inherently linked as a genre not just to physical objects but also to the material realities of which they form a part and the social worlds engendered by these material realities.
In this course we will focus on epigrams that present themselves as ‘speaking objects’: poems which through stylistic features, such as first-person voices, hold themselves out to their reader as voices emanating from the objects they supposedly once inscribed. Alongside such poetic illusions, we shall also look at epigrams that encourage a material gaze, drawing their reader’s attention towards objects and the material world which they inhabit, and we will use this as a way to explore the connection between Roman poetry and the Roman city. Through discussing both objects that speak and speech about objects, we will get to grips with the materiality of the epigram.
For information on teaching materials, see ‘Reading List’ below.
Course objectives
Knowledge:
Knowledge of the tradition of epigram in Roman literature;
Knowledge of key authors and texts of the epigrammatic genre in Roman literature;
Knowledge of currently scholarly approaches to the epigrammatic genre.
Understanding and skills:
Advanced research skills: working independently towards research goals, including: independent formulation of a complex research; collecting materials (both primary texts and scholarly research); analysing results, constructing arguments, formulating conclusions;
Critical assessment of secondary literature according to the standards of academic debate;
Oral presentation: presenting clearly and making effective use of hand-outs, illustrations and/or multi-media techniques; explaining complex ideas, the primary texts themselves and the arguments of scholarly literature in an accessible and engaging way.
Written assignment: independent formulation of a research question; self-directed gathering of research materials; analysing and evaluating primary texts and the scholarly literature which responds to those texts; setting out research results effectively, clearly and in a well-structured manner;
Written exam: demonstrating understanding of the primary texts read in class;
Written exam: translation of Latin text into idiomatic English; ability to identify and discuss grammatical and discourse linguistic features of a text.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
Written examination, on a specified corpus of texts, consisting of translations and grammatical and linguistic questions (20%)
Oral presentation (20%)
Paper (60%)
The oral presentations will take place during the second half of the lecture course. The written examination will take place during one of the lectures at the end of the course. The exact time and place will be communicated once the schedule is finalised.
Weighing
To complete the final mark, please take notice of the following:
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
In the event that the written examination is judged unsatisfactory, a resit consisting of a similar test will be arranged after the end of the lectures. In the event that the paper is judged unsatisfactory, a second improved version will have to be submitted, in consultation with the lecturer. The oral presentation can not be resat.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Some material must be prepared in advance of the beginning of the course. This is indicated below. Other material must be prepared in advance of the relevant class, according to the schedule which will be distributed via Brightspace in advance of the first class.
Texts marked with * are available online from the Leiden University Library. There is no need to purchase any texts. Any mandatory reading will be made available digitally via Brightspace or will be already available via the online resources of the University Library.
Please note: the written exam will be formed from material taken from the following texts:
Catullus (selected poems), Martial Books 1 and 14 (selected poems), Carmina Priapeia
Editions and Commentaries
a) Catullus:
Mynors, R. 1967. Valerii Catulli Carmina. Oxford.
*Thomson, D. F. C. 1997. Catullus. Toronto.
Reading to be completed in advance of the course, both in Latin and translation:
Catullus Carmina 1, 4, 14a, 36, 65-67, 95, 96, 101
b) Poetry from Fragmentary Corpora:
*Blänsdorf, J. 2011. Fragmenta Poetarum Latinorum Epicorum et Lyricorum4. Berlin.
Courtney, E. 2003. The Fragmentary Latin Poets2. Oxford.
Hollis, A.S. 2007. Fragments of Roman Poetry c. 60 BC–AD 20. Oxford.
Reading to be completed in advance of course, both in Latin and translation:
‘Epitaphs of Poets’ Courtney p. 47, Cinna fr. 13 Hollis
c) Epigraphic poetry:
Courtney, E. 1995. Musa Lapidaria: a selection of Latin Verse Inscriptions
Reading to be completed in advance of the course, both in Latin and translation:
Courtney, Lapidary Muse 9-23
d) Carmina Priapeia:
*Holzberg, N. 2021. Carmina Priapea: Griechisch – lateinisch – deutsch. Berlin, Boston.
Hooper R. W. 1999. The Priapus Poems. Urbana and Chicago, IL.
e) Martial:
Lindsay, W. M. 2007. M. Val. Martialis Epigrammata2. Oxford.
*Shackleton Bailey, D. R. 1993. Martial: Epigrams. Cambridge, MA.
f) Ausonius:
Green, R. P. H. 1991. The works of Ausonius. Oxford.
Introductions to Epigram:
Hendriksén, C. (ed.) 2019. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. Hoboken, NJ.
Livingstone, N., and Nisbet, G. 2010. Epigram. New Surveys in the Classics 38. Cambridge.
Introductions to Catullus:
Du Quesnay, I. and Woodman, T. (ed.) 2021. The Cambridge Companion to Catullus. Cambridge
Skinner, M. B. (ed.) 2007. A companion to Catullus. Malden, MA.
Introductions to Martial:
Rimell, V. 2008. Martial’s Rome: Empire and the ideology of epigram. Cambridge
A reading list with further secondary literature will be distributed via Brightspace in advance of the class.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.
Remarks
Students are expected to attend the classes regularly, to be fully prepared, and to participate actively in discussions.