INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL CULTURE - I

The course is the first part of the Introduction to Classical Culture (M-Z) course. It is designed to offer a selective introduction to the study of Greek literary institutions from the Archaic period to the 5th century BCE, also in the framework of the historical-cultural contexts in which those literary institutions originated. The approach both to the topics and to the literary texts to be dealt with in class will be mainly diachronic; at the same time, some instances of the reception, both literary and otherwise, of highly relevant tales and figures of Greek myth will also be examined. The course will therefore provide an opportunity to reflect both on the dynamics of reception peculiar to the domains of Ancient Greek and Latin literary production, and – through a deliberate selection of highly relevant cases – on the “survival” of antiquity, its literary and mythic heritage beyond the ancient world itself (classical reception).

At the end of the course, students are expected to:
– know the genres of Greek poetry of the Archaic and Classical periods and their most prominent authors
– know some texts, or rather extracts from them, pertaining to the poetic genres studied
– know some of the main tales of Greek myth and, in specific cases, at least some of their later developments in modern and contemporary art
– have some knowledge on the contexts of production, the dynamics of textual transmission, and the reception practises (both ancient and later) of Greek epic poetry, lyric, and drama
– be able to situate epic poetry, lyric, and drama (especially tragedy) and their main authors in space and time, as well as in relation to the relevant historical-cultural contexts
– be able to draw effective and informed comparisons between specific myths of ancient Greece and their modern and contemporary reception
– be able to reflect on the relationship between ancient (especially Greek) and modern literary cultures, also in terms of continuity/discontinuity, proximity/distance, analogy/difference between them
– be able to explain in writing, with appropriate vocabulary and independent critical thinking, their knowledge on the course topics.

No previous knowledge of either Ancient Greek or Latin is required. All Greek and Latin texts dealt with in class or as part of the course programme will be discussed and/or provided in Italian translation.

The course is divided in three main thematic cores of five lessons each:
(a) epic literature of the Archaic period (classes 1-5);
(b) lyric poetry (classes 6-10);
(c) tragic theatre and satyr drama (classes 11-15).

Within each thematic core, selected passages or fragments of ancient literary works will be used as examples to illustrate the main features of the poetic genres and authors studied. While these texts will be presented in Italian translation, attention will occasionally be paid to the original Greek, especially in the case of words that may be particularly representative of concepts and institutions highly relevant to ancient Greek literary culture.
Teaching aims to situate the literary phenomena under study in their respective historical, cultural, and political contexts and to provide insight into the dynamics of the production, circulation, and transmission of the literary works of the Archaic and Classical periods.

(1) A. Beltrametti, La letteratura greca. Tempi e luoghi, occasioni e forme, Carocci, Roma 2005, chapters 1 (“Dall’Asia alla Grecia. L’età arcaica”), 2 (“Intorno ad Atene. La prima età classica”), 3 (“Atene. La piena età classica”), pp. 11-144.
(2) L.E. Rossi, “I poemi omerici come testimonianza di poesia orale”, in R. Bianchi Bandinelli (a c. di), Storia e civiltà dei Greci. Vol. 1.1: “Origini e sviluppo della città. Il Medioevo greco”, Bompiani, Milano 1978, especially pp. 73-99 (sections A-F of the essay).
(3) C. Neri, Breve storia della lirica greca, Carocci, Roma 2010, chapters 1 (‘I nomi della lirica greca’), 2 (‘I luoghi della lirica greca’), 4 (‘Geografia e storia della lirica greca’), pp. 16-50, 62-77.
(4) G. Cerri, “La tragedia”, in G. Cambiano, L. Canfora, D. Lanza (a c. di), Lo spazio letterario della Grecia antica. Vol. I, Tomo I: “La polis”, Salerno editrice, Roma 1992, pp. 301-34.
(5) E. Rossi Linguanti, “Sulle tracce di Medea”, in M. Di Marco, Storia del teatro greco, Carocci, Roma 2018, pp. 439-60.

All the literary texts examined in class, as well as those provided by the lecturer, will also form part of the examination programme.

As further, optional reading on the course topics, the following books are recommended:
– A. Ercolani, Omero. Introduzione allo studio dell’epica greca arcaica, Carocci, Roma 2006, chapters 1 (‘La protostoria dei poemi omerici: la civiltà micenea’), 2 (‘I poemi omerici e i secoli bui’), 3 (‘Mito e cultura orale’), 4 (‘L’avvento della scrittura alfabetica e il perdurare della cultura orale’), pp. 39-102.
– G. Avezzù, Il mito sulla scena. La tragedia ad Atene, Marsilio, Venezia 2003 (especially the sections focusing on tragedies dealt with in class).
– A. Rodighiero, La tragedia greca, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013, chapters 1 (‘La tragedia nella città’), 2 (‘Lo spazio teatrale’), pp. 23-83.

The exam will be structured as a series of open questions. Questions will be four in total:
1. question 1 will require ample and well-structured answers (more or less amounting to half of the final evaluation)
2. question 2 will entail shorter, yet still extended, answers
3-4. questions 3-4 will require more synthetic answers
Overall, questions 2 and 3-4 will (more or less) account for the other half of the final evaluation (more specifically, question 2 will weigh more – roughly four times – than questions 3 and 4 respectively).

Grading:
Marks within the 18-22 range will be awarded in case of:
– sufficient knowledge of the course contents and bibliography
– answers that are sufficiently in-depth
– sufficient clarity of exposition
– limited critical rethinking as to the course contents and their knowledge

Marks within the 23-26 range will be awarded in case of:
– decent knowledge of the course contents and bibliography
– answers that are decently in-depth
– decent clarity of exposition
– decent critical rethinking as to the course contents and their knowledge

Marks within the 27-30 range will be awarded in case of:
– good or very good knowledge of the course contents and bibliography
– answers that are much or very much in-depth
– good or very good clarity of exposition
– good or very good critical rethinking as to the course contents and their knowledge

Lectures. A PowerPoint presentation will be used to facilitate access to, and analysis of, all literary texts studied in class.

The assessment methods will be the same for all students, whether they have attended the course or not.
A detailed outline of the topics covered in class will be made available on Moodle.

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This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development