OVERVIEW

Through the reading of texts in their original language, the course of Latin Literature will offer students an introduction to the literary, mythological, and cultural world of ancient Rome.

The lessons will focus on a literary theme having a great influence on Italian and Western literature: the journey to the afterlife. Guided by the words of Virgil and Ovid, we will follow in the footsteps of two famous travelers to the afterworld, Aeneas and Orpheus.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to give the students a good knowledge of a) the main methodologies and tools to interpret and translate Latin literary texts; b) the most part of all the great Latin authors from the III century b.C. to V-VI a .d. with particular focus on the different literary genres and themes of Latin culture; c) hints of didactics of the discipline and teaching methods of the linguistic part.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

         •       Identify the main features of Roman literature within their historical and cultural context

         •       Correctly place significant authors and literary works within the evolution of Latin literature and its literary genres, from its origins to the late imperial age

         •       Recognise and analyse linguistic (morphological and syntactic) features of a known Latin text and translate it

         •       Analyse thematic, metric, semantic, and rhetorical-stylistic aspects of a literary text

         •       Recognise some recurring motifs in Latin literature and their reception in European culture.

PREREQUISITES

To have pass the first-year exam “Lettorato di latino”, which is a prerequisite because it provides the necessary linguistic skills.

TEACHING METHODS

Lessons will be mostly dedicated to reading in metre, translating, and analysing the literary texts indicated in the syllabus. From these texts, in-depth studies will be developed to understand their literary and anthropological significance and to examine their reception in modern and contemporary Western literature.

A dialogic approach, including also workshop sessions for translation and analysis, will be preferred, aimed at enhancing active and dialectical participation.

Useful teaching materials for attending the lessons and preparing for the exam will be shared on Aulaweb.

Attendance is highly recommended. Non-attending students will have access to the recordings of the lessons via Teams at the end of the course.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Jouneys to the Otherworld. Latin Explorations of the Afterlife

The course focus on literary testimonies that offer a glimpse into how ancient literature and myth represented the Underworld and life beyond death.

During the initial lessons, an overview of the periodization of Latin literature and its literary genres will be provided, along with basic notions of phonetics, prosody, and metre (hexameter).

The central part of the course will focus on reading, translation, and commentary of the sixth book of Virgil’s Aeneid (lines 1-901) to reflect on the literary topos of descent to the Underworld. This will allow for an in-depth study of the role of the Aeneid within the development of the epic genre and the relationship between literary creation and political power, as well as for an anthropological glimpse into the beliefs and imagery underlying the ancient representation of the Afterlife.

In the concluding part of the course, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice will be examined, where the theme of the journey to the otherworld is explored from an erotic perspective. Virgil’s account in the Georgics (book IV, lines 453-527) will be compared with Ovid’s account in the Metamorphoses (book X, lines 1-85; book XI, lines 1-84); it will be examined how the myth has inspired modern and contemporary authors to reflect on themes such as eternity of poetry and relationship between love and death.

The monographic program will provide students with the methodological coordinates necessary to navigate the independent study of Latin literature through a textbook (see bibliography) and by translating an anthology of poetic compositions and prose excerpts that will be made available on AulaWeb. During the lessons, there will be workshop sessions dedicated to resolving any difficulties encountered in the study of literary history and in the translation of the texts contained in the handout.

The same syllabus applies to non-attending students.

12 ECTS/CFU Exam  for Literature students enrolled before 2023-2024 

Starting from the summer session 2024-2025, students enrolled before 2023-2024 can prepare for the exam according to this syllabus, supplementing the additional 3 ECTS/CFU through by preparing for translating basic level Latin prose texts (see also assessment methods).

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Literary history - recommendend reference textbook:

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

Latin language - recommendend reference textbook:

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

Prosody and metre - recommendend reference textbook:

A.Traina, G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino universitario, 6a ed. a cura di C. Marangoni, Bologna, Pàtron (capitolo VII: Fondamenti di metrica). 

Recommended translations:

Virgilio, Eneide, vol. 3: Libri V-VI, a cura di Ettore Paratore, traduzione di Luca Canali, Mondadori, Milano 2012 (Fondazione Lorenzo Valla) or Virgilio, Eneide, a cura di M. Ramous, G.B. Conte, G.L. Baldo, Venezia, Marsilio, 2004

Virgilio, Georgiche, a cura di A. Barchiesi, introduzione di G.B. Conte, Mondadori, Milano 2019

Ovidio, Metamorfosi, vol. 5: Libri X-XII, a cura di J.D. Reed, traduzione di G. Chiarini, Mondadori, Milano 2013 (Fondazione Lorenzo Valla) or Ovidio, Le Metamorfosi, a cura di Gianpiero Rosati, Milano, Rizzoli 1994

A handout containing the texts from the anthology selection to be prepared for the exam will be made available through AulaWeb before the start of the lessons.

Additional information for non-attending students:

Orfeo. Variazioni sul mito. Virgilio, Ovidio, Poliziano, Rilke, Cocteau, Pavese, Bufalino, a cura di M. Ciani, A. Rodighiero, Milano-Venezia, Marsilio-Feltrinelli

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ALICE BONANDINI (President)

ARIANNA FECIT

GABRIELLA MORETTI (President Substitute)

BIAGIO SANTORELLI (President Substitute)

LISA LONGONI (Substitute)

LORENZO VESPOLI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

February 18, 2025.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The written exam consists of the following parts:

         1.      History of Literature: authors, works, and genres

         2.      History of Literature: texts

         3.      Journeys to the Otherworld: Virgil, Aeneid

         4.      Journeys to the Otherworld: Orpheus

The four parts may also be taken in two separate exam sessions, while maintaining the progressive order indicated here (first session = parts 1 and 2; second session = parts 3 and 4).

Attending students will have the opportunity to take part of the exam (history of literature) as an ongoing assessment.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

During the written exam, students will be required to:

         1.      History of Literature: authors, works, and genres

         Answer both closed and open-ended questions, demonstrating knowledge of the most significant authors and works of Latin literature from its origins to the late imperial age, and correctly placing them in terms of historical period, literary genre, themes, and poetics.

         2.      History of Literature: texts

Answer closed and open-ended questions related to the translation, linguistic and lexical analysis, and historical-literary contextualization of a passage contained in the handout published on AulaWeb.

         3.      Journeys to the Otherworld: Virgil, Aeneid

In relation to verses from the sixth book of the Aeneid (to be fully prepared), answer closed and open-ended questions regarding translation, metrical, linguistic, lexical, and stylistic-rhetorical analysis, as well as the thematic content covered during the lessons.

         4.      Journeys to the Otherworld: Orpheus

In relation to verses taken from Virgil’s Georgics (book IV, lines 453-527) or from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (book X, lines 1-85; book XI, lines 1-84), answer closed and open-ended questions regarding translation, metrical, linguistic, lexical, and stylistic-rhetorical analysis, as well as themes developed during the course and comparison with other works discussed.

12 ECTS/CFU exam for Literature students enrolled before 2023-2024 

To supplement the additional 3 ECTS/CFU, students enrolled before 2023-2024 will translate from Latin a short passage or some sentences, taken from the exercises proposed in the first 15 units of the textbook La lingua latina. Fondamenti di morfologia e sintassi (see bibliography).

The resulting evaluation will take into account the following grading scale:

         •       30 with honors - 28: The student demonstrates mastery of Latin literary history, correctly contextualizing its protagonists and moving confidently, both diachronically and synchronically, within the system of literary genres. They can precisely contextualize literary facts within the historical and cultural landscape, employ consistently correct language, mastering the specialized lexicon of the discipline, possess a solid competency in Latin, and can analyze a Latin text with confidence and depth, grasping all linguistic, semantic, stylistic, and rhetorical aspects.

         •       27 - 23: The student demonstrates proficiency in Latin literary history, correctly contextualizing its protagonists and moving satisfactorily within the system of literary genres. They can contextualize literary facts within the historical and cultural landscape, employ correct language and generally use the specialized lexicon of the discipline. They have a decent competency in Latin and can analyze a Latin text with confidence, grasping its main linguistic, semantic, stylistic, and rhetorical aspects.

         •       22 - 18: The student has a general understanding of Latin literary history, with awareness of its protagonists and the system of literary genres. They can contextualize major literary facts within the historical and cultural landscape, use generally correct language, though lacking complete knowledge of the specialized lexicon of the discipline. They have​ limited competency in Latin and, despite some uncertainties, can analyze a Latin text, understanding it on linguistic, semantic, stylistic, and rhetorical levels.

         •       Below 18: The student lacks even a general understanding of Latin literary history, unaware of its protagonists and the system of literary genres. They are unable to contextualize major literary facts within the historical and cultural landscape, use language that is not sufficiently correct, have insufficient competency in Latin, and are unable to analyze and understand a Latin text.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Adaptation of assessment methods 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 teacher 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 teacher, upon confirmation from Prof. Colagrossi, will communicate which tools/measures can be accepted based on the didactic and evaluative methods of the exam.

Please note that during the written exam, the use of concept maps related to the history of literature will not be allowed; students who need to use them as a compensatory measure may request to carry out the corresponding part of the exam orally.