CLU34482/CLU44482 Augustan Poetry
The poetry of the Augustan age has traditionally been regarded as the high point of Roman literature, combining as it does consummate artistry with a rich array of ‘timeless’ themes such as love, politics and the relation between individual and society. This module will focus on Propertius’ love-elegies and the lyric poetry of Horace, exploring both similarities and points of divergence between the style and world-view of the two poets.
- Module Organiser:
- Professor Monica Gale
- Duration:
- One Term (Jan – Apr)
- Contact Hours:
- 22 (one 2-hour class per week)
- Weighting:
- 10 ECTS
- Assessment:
- 40% continuous assessment (one assessed presentation, one written assignment), 60% final examination
Prescribed Editions
- W. Camps (ed.), Propertius: Elegies Book I (Cambridge UP, 1961)
- R. Mayer, Horace: Odes, Book 1 (Cambridge, 2012)
- G. Williams, The Third Book of Horace's Odes (Oxford, 1969)
Select Bibliography
- A. Keith, Propertius: Poet of Love And Leisure (London, 2008)
- R.O.A.M. Lyne, The Latin Love Poets (Oxford, 1980)
- S. Commager, The Odes of Horace: A Critical Study (New Haven, 1961; repr. Norman, Oklahoma, 1995)
- H. Fraenkel, Horace (Oxford, 1957)
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
- Translate and analyse the prescribed texts
- Identify and analyse the genre’s characteristic themes, style and diction
- Give a competent and independent interpretation of the prescribed texts in their literary, sociopolitical and historical contexts
- Critically engage with ancient and modern theories of genre and intertexuality, both in their own right and in relation to the prescribed texts