OVERVIEW

Ancient Greek literature includes some of the greatest masterpieces of poetry and thought of all time. In the formation of an European citizen, this knowledge cannot be lacking, at least at a basic level, because it favors the critical understanding of the main problems of humanity throughout history.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

(History of literature with a written exam / Fundamentals of philology prosody and metrics)

The “Greek Literature” course for the three-year degree course aims to give students the essential outlines and the most relevant figures and genres of ancient Greece in its historical evolution from the origins to the Imperial age. An integral part of the programme is the choice of important and meaningful texts that must be tackled in the original language. The “fundamentals of philology prosody and metrics” course aims to give students basic notions of Greek philology and metrics in their most relevant aspects. In relation to the fundamentals of philology, in the first place students must acquire an adequate knowledge of the critical-textual terminology to enable them to decipher and interpret a critical system; secondly, essential historical data and basic principles of textual criticism will be given. In relation to metrics, lectures aim to give students the fundamental notions of prosody and knowledge of the most common and widespread metric systems of Greek poetry beginning with the hexameter and iambic trimeter. 

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

To make the history of ancient Greek literature known in depth and to enable the student to read texts by particularly significant authors in the original language.

Students are expected to acquire a sound knowledge of the main aspects of ancient Greek literature and a good understanding of the Greek language.

At the end of the course the student must be able to know and describe the essential features, the most relevant figures and genres of the literary civilization of ancient Greece, and also knowing how to apply the linguistic knowledge to the translation of Greek texts and those of prosody and metrics to the metrical reading of texts in hexameters and in iambic trimeters.

PREREQUISITES

A high school knowledge of the ancient Greek language and of the basis of the history of Greek literature.

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lessons, eventual didactic support for in-depth studies on specific topics. Possible tests during the year, with parts of texts prepared, translated and commented by the students of the course. One or more specialised lessons by Professor Mariella De Simone are planned.

Lessons will take place in a mode to be established, probably mixed.

It would be desirable for students to express their willingness to enrol by sending an e-mail to <w.lap@libero.it>.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

 MONOGRAPHIC ARGUMENT OF TEACHING FOR ALL STUDENTS

The Satyr Drama in Greek literature: reading and commenting on Euripides' Cyclops.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Texts for 6 CFU

HANDBOOK: it is recommended one of the following handbooks: D. Del Corno, Letteratura greca, Milano, Principato, 1988; L. E. Rossi, Letteratura greca, Firenze, Le Monnier, 1995; G. A. Privitera – R. Pretagostini, Storia e forme della letteratura greca, I-II, Torino, Ei

PROGRAMME FOR 6 CFU

The texts commented in the classroom will be provided by the teacher himself, in photocopy or pdf, obviously in observance of the copyright laws in force.

In addition to the monographic course and the handbook (to be chosen among the editions on the market of: D. Del Corno, Letteratura greca, Milano, Principato, 1988; L. E. Rossi, Letteratura greca, Firenze, Le Monnier, 1995; G. A. Privitera - R. Pretagostini, Storia e forme della letteratura greca, I-II, Torino, Einaudi Scuola, 1997; A. Leek - W. Lapini, Letteratura greca, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2017), students will have to prepare:

(1) Book IX of the Odyssey (in any scholastic or popular edition, as long as it has a preface, Greek text and commentary notes);

(2) A tragedy to be chosen among the following tragedies of the last period of Sophocles' and Euripides' production: Philoctetes; Oedipus Coloneus; Troades; Iphigenia in Tauris; Phoenissae; Orestes (in any scholastic or popular edition, provided with preface, Greek text and commentary notes);

(3) Paolo Cipolla, Minor poets of Satyr Drama: critical text, translation and commentary, Amsterdam, Hakkert, 2003.

As the syllabuses may be subject to changes during the course, students are requested NOT to purchase the texts before the beginning of the courses.

PROGRAMME FOR 9 CFU

In addition to the monographic course and the textbook (to be chosen from the commercial editions of: D. Del Corno, Letteratura greca, Milano, Principato, 1988; L. E. Rossi, Letteratura greca, Firenze, Le Monnier, 1995; G. A. Privitera - R. Pretagostini, Storia e forme della letteratura greca, I-II, Torino, Einaudi Scuola, 1997; A. Leek - W. Lapini, Letteratura greca, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2017), students will have to prepare:

(1) Book IX of the Odyssey (in any scholastic or popular edition, as long as it has a preface, Greek text and commentary notes);

(2) A tragedy to be chosen among the following tragedies of the last period of Sophocles' and Euripides' production: Philoctetes; Oedipus Coloneus; Troades; Iphigenia in Tauris; Phoenissae; Orestes (in any scholastic or popular edition, provided with preface, Greek text and commentary notes);

(3) Paolo Cipolla, Minor poets of Satyr Drama: critical text, translation and commentary, Amsterdam, Hakkert, 2003;

(4) A comedy by Aristophanes of your choice, only in Italian (in any edition, but better if with Greek text);

(5) Mauro Bonazzi, Atene, la città inquieta, Torino, Einaudi, 2017.

Since the programmes may be subject to changes during the course, students are requested NOT to purchase the texts before the beginning of the courses.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

VALTER LAPINI (President)

FRANCESCA GAZZANO

SERENA PERRONE (President Substitute)

PIA CAROLLA (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Second semester. Classes begin on Tuesday 15 February 2022.

Classes will be held in a mode to be determined, probably mixed.

It would be desirable for students to express their willingness to attend by sending an e-mail to <w.lap@libero.it>.

Class schedule

ANCIENT GREEK LITERATURE

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of a written and an oral test. The written test normally consists of a translation from Greek into Italian with vocabulary. However, given the still uncertain health situation (with the consequent difficulty of finding space and organising timetables), also for the year 2021-2022 the written test will be replaced until further notice by an oral test of translation from Greek of a short text of average difficulty, to be held within the oral test and as part of it. The remainder of the oral examination will consist of a test on the monographic course, on the texts of the examination programme (with translation of the passages, questions on the language and on the historical-literary framework) and on the history of Greek literature based on the textbook.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

In relation to the indicated teaching objectives, the exam will verify the acquisition of a sufficient knowledge of ancient Greek to translate the original texts with the help of a dictionary and a sound knowledge of the main aspects of ancient Greek literature.
The exam consists of a written test (only for 9 cfu: a translation using a dictionary) and an oral test consisting in a discussion of the texts included in the programme and the monographic course with translation of some passages, questions on the language and historical-literary framework; history of literature.

In relation to the written test, the evaluation of text comprehension will weigh 55%, the evaluation of the morpho-syntactic knowledge 30%, the evaluation of the expressive yield 15%.

In relation to the oral test, the evaluation of knowledge and the ability to apply them will weigh 70%, the evaluation of the personal ability to process knowledge and communicate it will weigh 30%.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

At the beginning of lectures indications will be given on texts to be used for the course and the exam. Texts and other materials will be made available on Aulaweb. During the course there will be some intermediate tests on the level of learning attained consisting in translation by students of some passages of the texts being examined.

Students who are unable to attend or wish to repeat the exam must contact teaching staff.