OVERVIEW

The course intends to introduce  students to an in-depth analysis at university level of history, themes and texts of Latin literature.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Latin Literature course (I year), within the path of the Bachelor's Degree (laurea triennale), aims to make students acquire a good knowledge of the history of Latin literature from the Archaic Age up to the fifth century A.D through the direct reading of texts. Another aim is the knowledge of the great themes of Latin literature and the fundamental range of literary genres, with their formal and content features, together with the ability to move between one genre and another, applying appropriate interpretation techniques. Then, the ability to identify the elements of continuity and innovation of this literature compared to the Greek experience. Lastly, the ability to analyze the language texts proposed during the course and virtually any text in Latin.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Latin literature course (I year) has the following objectives:

• to give students a good knowledge of the history of Latin literature in its diachronic evolution from the archaic period to the 5th century AD by directly reading texts;
• to give students knowledge of the themes of Latin literature and the fundamental range of literary genres with their formal characteristics and content; capacity to move between genres applying suitable interpretation techniques;
• to give students knowledge and understanding of the evolution of the Latin language over about eight centuries of history (with particular attention to the awareness of various registers and levels of the language, the selection of which is tied naturally to the literary genre);
• to give students the capacity to identify elements of continuity and innovation in Latin literature with respect to the great Greek experience that preceded it;
• to give students understanding of and capacity to analyse the texts proposed during the course and, in general, any text in Latin;
• mastery of Latin reading and consequently excellent knowledge of prosody and metrics.

To this end a text or a selection of texts in Latin will be commented. Other texts will be added which must be read independently by students. A part of the course will be devoted to the fundamental notions of prosody and metrics (hexameter and pentameter) and to practical exercises of metric reading.

PREREQUISITES

The lessons include the reading and translation of texts from Latin. A solid knowledge of the Latin language is therefore required, and non classicist students, who have not taken an access test in Latin, are required the passing (only for students registered starting from 2023/24) of the final test of the  75-hour Latin Lettorato (3 CFU).

It should be remembered that to facilitate the preparation of solid grammatical foundations and for the preparation of the preparatory written test, a Lettorato for the recovery of OFA and a Lettorato of Advanced Translation lare activated between the first and second semester, the latter open to all students (see more details in the FURTHER INFORMATION field).

Those wishing to take this exam to acquire more than 12 ECTS must pass the Final Test of the Lettorato Avanzato di traduzione held by Dr. Arianna Fecit.

TEACHING METHODS

The course will alternate lectures and practical metric reading exercises.

Attendance to the lessons, although not compulsory, is highly recommended.

Only those who attend lessons in presence will be deemed attending students.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The Pro Caelio Oration: Politics, Conspiracies, Murders, Love Affairs, and Poisons in the Theatre of Ciceronian Oratory

Universally regarded as the wittiest and most entertaining of Cicero’s speeches, the Pro Caelio stands out against the turbulent backdrop of a political world steeped in corruption, conspiracies, assassinations, demagogic unrest, attempted poisonings of varying degrees of success, romantic intrigues, and dubious financial dealings.

With extraordinary rhetorical skill, Cicero manages to divert attention from the compromising facts that might incriminate his client, devoting much of his speech instead to a fierce attack on one of the chief accusers, Clodia, with whom Caelius had previously been involved. Taking advantage of the fact that the trial coincided with the celebration of the Ludi Megalenses, a festival marked by public theatrical performances, Cicero constructs a veritable dramatic spectacle—complete with idolopeiae of the dead, such as Appius Claudius Caecus, and ethopoeiae of living figures like Clodius, who serve as characters in this rhetorical theatre.

In this elaborate staging, Cicero deftly plays with elements of tragedy, comedy, and even the unruly world of mime, turning the courtroom into a theatrical space where forensic rhetoric becomes performance art.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

9 credit program:

Monographic course:

1) Cicerone, Pro Caelio (Cicerone, In difesa di Marco Celio, a cura di A. Cavarzere, Venezia, Marsilio, 1987, or Cicerone, In difesa di Marco Celio, a cura di E. Narducci, Milano, BUR, 1989).

Complementary texts (preparation by students):

2) Virgilio, Eneide, libro VI (Publio Virgilio Marone, Eneide, a cura di A. Fo, note di F. Giannotti, Nuova Universale Einaudi, Torino 2002: the commentary notes of this edition are very important).

3) S. Casali, Virgilio: Guida all'Eneide, Carocci, Roma 2023.

4) Ovidio, Metamorfosi, libro IV (Ovidio, Metamorfosi, Vol. II, libri III-IV, a cura di A. Barchiesi e G.P. Rosati, trad. di L. Koch, Collana Lorenzo Valla, Mondadori, 2007: only Book IV, with the important commentary by G.P. Rosati).

5) L. Galasso, Ovidio: Guida alle Metamorfosi, Carocci, Roma 2023.

6) Tibullo, The first book of Elegies (Tibullo, Le Elegie, a cura di L. Lenaz, Milano, BUR, or Tibullo, Elegie, a cura di E.R. D'Amanti, Milano, Rusconi: only the first book)

7) History of Latin Literature: from its origins to the 5th century AD:

It is recommended  a good literary history manual for classical high school, such as the more complete versions of the  manual by G.B. Conte, that is  Letteratura Latina. Manuale storico dalle origini alla fine dell'impero romano, Le Monnier, Firenze, pp. 650; or the most recent and updated two-volume version: Letteratura latina. Con espansione online. Dall'alta repubblica all'età di Augusto (Vol. 1) e Letteratura latina. Con espansione online. L' età imperiale (Vol. 2), ed. Le Monnier  (as a supplement for those who have not already studied the history of Latin literature in high school, I recommend the literary history with anthology of texts Storia e testi della Letteratura Latina, a cura di G.B. Conte ed E. Pianezzola, Le Monnier, Firenze).

As an excellent alternative, see the new literary history Le parole di Roma. Storia della letteratura latina, a cura di P. Fedeli, E. Malaspina, L. Antonelli, UTET Università, Torino 2023.

8) For an indispensable fine-tuning of historical-linguistic knowledge in the field of grammar, syntax and metrics, it is recommended the use of:

A. Traina, G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino Universitario, Bologna, Pàtron. 

The chapter of this volume relating to metrics can be usefully integrated or replaced with the short chapter (about twenty pages) by Sebastiano Timpanaro, Introduzione alla prosodia e alla metrica latina, which will be uploaded by the teacher on Aulaweb and therefore made available to students.

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6 credit program:

Monographic course:

1) Cicerone, Pro Caelio (Cicerone, In difesa di Marco Celio, a cura di A. Cavarzere, Venezia, Marsilio, 1987, oppure Cicerone, In difesa di Marco Celio, a cura di E. Narducci, Milano, BUR, 1989).

Complementary texts (preparation by students):

2) Virgilio, Eneide, libro VI (Publio Virgilio Marone, Eneide, a cura di A. Fo, note di F. Giannotti, Nuova Universale Einaudi, Torino 2002: the commentary notes of this edition are very important).

3) S. Casali, Virgilio: Guida all'Eneide, Carocci, Roma 2023.

4) Ovidio, Metamorfosi, libro IV (Ovidio, Metamorfosi, Vol. II, libri III-IV, a cura di A. Barchiesi e G.P. Rosati, trad. di L. Koch, Collana Lorenzo Valla, Mondadori, 2007: only Book IV, with the important commentary by G.P. Rosati)

5) Tibullo, The first book of Elegies (Tibullo, Le Elegie, a cura di L. Lenaz, Milano, BUR, or Tibullo, Elegie, a cura di E.R. D'Amanti, Milano, Rusconi: only the first five elegies of the first book)

6) History of Latin Literature: from its origins to the 5th century AD:

It is recommended  a good literary history manual for classical high school, such as the more complete versions of the  manual by G.B. Conte, that is  Letteratura Latina. Manuale storico dalle origini alla fine dell'impero romano, Le Monnier, Firenze, pp. 650; or the most recent and updated two-volume version: Letteratura latina. Con espansione online. Dall'alta repubblica all'età di Augusto (Vol. 1) e Letteratura latina. Con espansione online. L' età imperiale (Vol. 2), ed. Le Monnier  (as a supplement for those who have not already studied the history of Latin literature in high school, I recommend the literary history with anthology of texts Storia e testi della Letteratura Latina, a cura di G.B. Conte ed E. Pianezzola, Le Monnier, Firenze).

As an excellent alternative, see the new literary history Le parole di Roma. Storia della letteratura latina, a cura di P. Fedeli, E. Malaspina, L. Antonelli, UTET Università, Torino 2023.

7) For an indispensable fine-tuning of historical-linguistic knowledge in the field of grammar, syntax and metrics, it is recommended the use of:

A. Traina, G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino Universitario, Bologna, Pàtron. 

The chapter of this volume relating to metrics can be usefully integrated or replaced with the short chapter (about twenty pages) by Sebastiano Timpanaro, Introduzione alla prosodia e alla metrica latina, which will be uploaded by the teacher on Aulaweb and therefore made available to students.

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 3 credit program:

Monographic course:

1) Cicerone, Pro Caelio (Cicerone, In difesa di Marco Celio, a cura di A. Cavarzere, Venezia, Marsilio, 1987, oppure Cicerone, In difesa di Marco Celio, a cura di E. Narducci, Milano, BUR, 1989).

Complementary texts (preparation by students):

2) History of Latin Literature: from its origins to the 5th century AD:

It is recommended  a good literary history manual for classical high school, such as the more complete versions of the  manual by G.B. Conte, that is  Letteratura Latina. Manuale storico dalle origini alla fine dell'impero romano, Le Monnier, Firenze, pp. 650; or the most recent and updated two-volume version: Letteratura latina. Con espansione online. Dall'alta repubblica all'età di Augusto (Vol. 1) e Letteratura latina. Con espansione online. L' età imperiale (Vol. 2), ed. Le Monnier  (as a supplement for those who have not already studied the history of Latin literature in high school, I recommend the literary history with anthology of texts Storia e testi della Letteratura Latina, a cura di G.B. Conte ed E. Pianezzola, Le Monnier, Firenze).

As an excellent alternative, see the new literary history Le parole di Roma. Storia della letteratura latina, a cura di P. Fedeli, E. Malaspina, L. Antonelli, UTET Università, Torino 2023.

3) For an indispensable fine-tuning of historical-linguistic knowledge in the field of grammar, syntax and metrics, it is recommended the use of:

A. Traina, G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino Universitario, Bologna, Pàtron. 

The chapter of this volume relating to metrics can be usefully integrated or replaced with the short chapter (about twenty pages) by Sebastiano Timpanaro, Introduzione alla prosodia e alla metrica latina, which will be uploaded by the teacher on Aulaweb and therefore made available to students.

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STUDENTS WHO WANT TO ITERATE THE EXAM OR A PART OF THE EXAM, OR ACQUIRE A DIFFERENT NUMBER OF CREDITS, MUST AGREE A SPECIAL PROGRAM WITH THE TEACHER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE COURSE

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course is scheduled to begin on September 15, 2025

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral test.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam consists of an oral test: various questions on the different phases of the history of Latin Literature will be followed by an interview on the monographic course. The candidate will also be required to read and translate some passages from the texts in the program and to demonstrate mastery in the grammatical, linguistic and stylistic analysis of the passages in question.

The vote will be expressed in THIRTIES. The final grade will be determined by an average  obtained from the sum of the following factors:

-quality of exposure and ability to use an adequate Italian form: 4/30;

- historical-literary knowledge (e.g.  contextualization on a timeline, characters, knowledge of the plots and structure of the works, belonging of a text to a literary genre in the context of its history, intertextual comparisons): 10/30 ;

- reasoning skills, logical connections and use of the specialist vocabulary 2/30;

- reading, analysis and comprehension of the texts 14/30.

Note: During the course an active class attendance will contribute to the evaluation.

In order to allow an easier preparation and an in-depth study of the texts, the exam, if the student wishes, can be divided into two parts:

- 9 credit exam:

FIRST PART: points 1 (monographic course), 6 (Literary History) and 7 (Propaedeutic to University Latin );

SECOND PART: points 2, 3, 4 and 5(complementary texts).

- 6 credit exam:

FIRST PART: points 1 (monographic course); 5 (Literary History); and 6 (Propaedeutic to University Latin );

SECOND PART: point 2, 3 and 4 (complementary texts).

- 3 credit exam:

FIRST PART: point 2 (Literary History) and 3 (Propaedeutic to University Latin );

SECOND PART: point 1 (Monographic course)

FURTHER INFORMATION

Erasmus students not proficient in Italian may request a substitutive bibliography, and take the examination in English.

The course, held in the first semester of the 2023/24 academic year, will be held in person.

The following lecturers valid for classicist students will also be activated:

1) a Lettorato for the recovery of the OFA, held in the first semester, also useful, more generally, to fill some gaps, in particular of syntax

3) an Advanced translation Lettorato, held in the first semester by Dr. Arianna Fecit, compulsory for classicists, and highly recommended also for all modernists interested in passing the Preliminary Test of Translation from Latin of second level.

All students are required to sign up for Aulaweb and Teams in time for the start of the course.

For students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA).

Students with disabilities or DSA are reminded that in order to request adaptations during the exam, they must first enter the certification on the University website on the servizionline.unige.it page in the "Students" section. The documentation will be verified by the University's Services Sector for the inclusion of students with disabilities and DSA (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/structure/100111).

Subsequently, significantly in advance (at least 10 days) of the exam date, it is necessary to send an e-mail to the teacher with whom you will take the exam, inserting in copy copy both the teacher in charge of the School for the inclusion of students with disabilities and with DSA (contact email) is the sector indicated above. In the email you must specify:

the name of the course

the date of the appeal

the student's surname, first name and student number

the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures deemed functional and required.

The contact person will confirm to the teacher that the applicant has the right to request adaptations during the exam and that these adaptations must be agreed with the teacher. The teacher will respond by communicating whether it is possible to use the requested adaptations.

Requests must be sent at least 10 days before the date of the exam in order to allow the teacher to evaluate the content. In particular, in the event that you intend to use concept maps for the exam (which must be much more concise than the maps used for the study) if the sending does not respect the expected times there will not be the technical time necessary to make any changes.

For further information regarding the request for services and adaptations, consult the document:

https://unige.it/sites/unige.it/files/2024-05/Linee%20guida%20per%20la%20richiesta%20di%20servizi%2C%20di%20strumenti%20compensativi%20e_o%20di%20misure%20dispensative%20e%20di%20ausili%20specifici%20Maggio%202024.pdf