OVERVIEW

Through the close reading of a selection of authors from different ages, this course aims to refine students' literary analysis skills. The notions of literary genres and canon will be re-assessed beginning with the only genre for which the Romans claimed absolute originality: satire.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course intends to introduce students to an in-depth analysis at a specialistic level of history, themes and texts of Latin literature through a direct and analytical reading of the texts, from the Archaic age to the 5th century AD, developing the ability to relate literary production with its historical-cultural context.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the course, student will be able to:

• Problematize the concept of literary genre, and especially the case of satire.

• Understand the complexity of the relationship of aemulatio between a literary work and its models.

• Evaluate the connections between literary production, authorial poetics, and the relevant historical-cultural context.

• Exploit their linguistic knowledge, at both morphosyntactic and lexical levels, to translate Latin texts accurately and coherently with their literary typology.

• Analyze in depth literary texts on thematic, metrical, semantic, historical-literary, and rhetorical-stylistic grounds.

PREREQUISITES

Proficiency in Latin language and good knowledge of dactylic metric are mandatory prerequisites

TEACHING METHODS

The literary texts listed in the syllabus, will be read in the original language and analyzed in class. The course will envisage a cooperative approach, aimed at valuing the active participation and critical contribution of the students.

Enrollment in the course on Aulaweb is recommended: teaching materials useful to participate in class and necessary for exam preparation will be shared online. Attendance is highly recommended.

During the first semester, an advanced Latin translation course will be offered to consolidate the level of linguistic competence necessary to participate in the course and pass the written exam (see assessments).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Satura tota nostra est

It is well known that satire, as attested by a famous statement of Quintilian, was the only literary genre for which the Romans claimed exclusive paternity. However, upon closer examination, the satirical genre reveals itself to be much more complex and polymorphous: the etymology of its name is disputed and has little to do with the meaning the term "satire" has acquired today; its formal dimension is variable, encompassing not only the canonical hexameter but also the polymetry of its origins and prosimetrum. Despite the purported "entirely Roman" origin, the influence of Greek predecessors and the diatribic tradition is significant.

After an introduction dedicated to defining the genre through the most important ancient theoretical testimonies, a selection of texts will be read to highlight the main evolutionary stages of the genre, from archaic satire to imperial age satire, including Menippean satire. Students will be challenged with the exegetical problems of the fragmentary satires of Ennius, Lucilius, and Varro, and then confronted with the metaliterary compositions of Horace (Sat. 1.4), Persius (Sat. 1), and Juvenal (Sat. 1). Finally, Seneca's "Apocolocyntosis," the only Menippean satire preserved in its entirety, will be read in full.

The preparation for the exam will be completed by the individual reading of two satires containing violent attacks against women: Horace's 1.8 and Juvenal's Satire 6.

The syllabus applies also to non-attending students.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reading list: all text must be read and analyzed in Latin

a) Quintilian, The orator’s education 10.1.93-95. Recommended edition with English translation: D.A. Russell, Quintilian. The orator’s education, Cambridge MA – London 2001

b) Diomedes, Ars grammatica I 485.30-34. Edizione di riferimento: H. Keil (ed.), Grammatici Latini, vol. 1, Leipzig 1857

c) Ennius, Saturae, fragments 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11b, 12, 13, 14, 17 Russo. Recommended edition with English translation: M. Goldberg, G. Manuwald, Fragmentary Republican Latin, Volume II: Ennius. Dramatic Fragments. Minor Works, Cambridge MA – London 2018.

d) Lucilius, Saturae, vv. 1-30; 43-44; 49-50; 54; 243-246; 264-265; 484-488; 504; 540-546; 678-679; 992-995; 1228-1234; 1326-1338 Marx. Recommended edizion with English translation: E.H. Warmington, Remains of Old Latin, Volume III: Lucilius. The Twelve Tables, Cambridge MA – London 1938.

e) Varro, ΤΑΦΗ ΜΕΝΙΠΠΟΥ. Recommended edition: W.A. Krenkel (ed.), Marcus Terentius Varro. Saturae Menippeae, St. Katharinen 2002.

f) Horace, Satires 1.4; 1.8. Recommended edition with English translation: H.R. Fairclough, Horace. Satires, Epistles, Cambridge MA – London 1926

g) Persius, Satire 1;

h) Juvenal, Satires 1 and 6

Recommended edition with English translation: S. Morton Braund, Juvenal and Persius. Satires, Cambridge MA – London 2004.

e) Seneca, Apokolokyntosis. Recommended edition with English translation: G. Schmeling, Petronius, Satyricon. Seneca, Apokolokyntosis, Cambridge MA – London 2020.

Reference textbooks:

History of Literature:

Gian Biagio Conte, Profilo storico della Letteratura Latina dalle origini alla tarda età imperiale, Le Monnier / Mondadori Education.

Latin language:

Marco Fucecchi, Luca Graverini, La lingua latina. Fondamenti di morfologia e sintassi, Le Monnier / Mondadori Education.

A.Traina, G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino universitario, 6a ed. a cura di C. Marangoni, Pàtron. 

Meter and prosody:

S. Boldrini, La prosodia e la metrica dei Romani, Carocci.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

February 18, 2025

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The final exam will be oral; to be admitted to the oral exam, students will be required to pass a written test in Latin translation, which will assess the attainment of the required level of linguistic competence. Students who have already completed a similar examination during their academic career, such as at the conclusion of an advanced Latin translation course, will be exempted from the written test.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

In the oral examination, students will be required to:

• Read (if requested, in meter) and translate selected passages from the Latin texts on the syllabus, analyzing them from linguistic, lexical, and stylistic-rhetorical perspectives.

• Critically discuss the exegetical and literary issues presented by the texts on the syllabus, referring also to the supplementary essays listed in the bibliography and discussed in class.

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the characteristics of the satirical genre and its evolution, projecting these insights onto the broader historical and cultural context of Latin literature.

In the written examination, students will be required to:

• Translate a prose passage, identifying morphological elements and syntactic structures.

• Render the translated passage into correct and appropriate Italian, reflecting the content and register of the original, demonstrating comprehension of its meaning.

Grading scale:

• 30 cum laude - 28: The student will be able to translate and discuss accurately the texts and outline their linguistic features;

• 27 - 23: The student will show an overall knowledge of the selected texts, with some flaws that will not prejudice their correct interpretation.

• 22 - 18: The student will show a partial understanding of the texts and their language.

• Fail: The student who will misinterpret or not be able to translate the texts will not pass the exam.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Accommodations for students with special educational needs / Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD)

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD) can consult the guidelines for requesting services, compensatory tools, and/or dispensatory measures and specific aids at the following link: 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

Please note that to request exam adaptation, it is necessary to:

- Insert the certification on the University's website (servizionline.unige.it) in the "Students" section.

- Send, within 10 days from the exam date, an email to the responsible teachers to agree on the adaptation tools/measures, including in CC both the Teacher in Charge of School for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and SLD (elisabetta.colagrossi@unige.it) and the Sector for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and SLD (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/struttura/100111).

- In the email, please specify: the name of the course; the date of the exam; the student's last name, first name, and student number; the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures considered functional and requested.

- The responsible teachers, upon confirmation from Prof. Colagrossi, will communicate which tools/measures can be accepted based on the didactic and evaluative methods of the exam.