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CLU33481 Latin Close Reading

This module will involve close and detailed study of a Latin prose or verse text, with the twofold aim of increasing fluency in reading and enhancing appreciation of the author’s style, literary and rhetorical technique. Through translation and discussion of prescribed sections of the text, we will explore the ways in which Roman writers employ devices such as verbal patterning, metaphor and linguistic register, and how these features affect readers’ response to their work.
  • Module Organiser:
    • Professor Monica Gale
  • Duration:
    • Semester 1
  • Contact Hours:
    • 22 (two reading classes per week)
  • Weighting:
    • 5 ECTS
  • Assessment:
    • 100% coursework
  • Course Open To:
    • Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology; TJH Latin; Visiting

Learning Outcomes

Upon the successful completion of this module students should be able to:

  • Fluently read Latin texts of moderate difficulty with the aid of dictionaries and commentaries
  • Translate and analyse the prescribed text
  • Produce a cohesive and fully-supported close reading of a given passage, including comment on style, register, rhetorical features and literary tropes
  • Comment on the relation of the prescribed text to its historical, literary and cultural contexts
  • Translate unseen Latin extracts of similar genres, style or content as the studies Latin texts into idiomatic English