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, in some cases, 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 ancient 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:
(a) epic literature of the Archaic period;
(b) lyric poetry;
(c) tragedy and satyr drama.

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 production, circulation, and transmission of the literary works of the Archaic and Classical periods.

(1) A. Rodighiero, S. Mazzoldi, D. Piovan, Civiltà letteraria della Grecia antica, Zanichelli, Bologna 2025, pp. 4-184 (further elucidations as to the parts to be studied will be provided during the course).
(2) E. Rossi Linguanti, “Sulle tracce di Medea”, in M. Di Marco (a c. di), Storia del teatro greco, Carocci, Roma 2018, pp. 439-60.
(3) All the literary texts chosen by the lecturer – to be made available on Moodle – will also form part of the examination programme.

As further, optional readings on the course topics, the following essays and 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.
– C. Neri, La lirica greca. Temi e testi, Carocci, Roma 2004, chapters 1 (pp. 23-7), 2 (pp. 29-49), 4 (pp. 61-81).
– A. Rodighiero, La tragedia greca, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013, chapters 1 (“La tragedia nella città”), 2 (“Lo spazio teatrale”), pp. 23-83.
– G. Avezzù, Il mito sulla scena. La tragedia ad Atene, Marsilio, Venezia 2003 (especially the sections focusing on the tragedies and satyr plays dealt with in class).

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed via a written exam. The exam will aim to ascertain the knowledge acquired as to the course topics and the ability to explain them with appropriate vocabulary and autonomous, yet informed, critical thinking. In evaluating the examination papers, depth of knowledge and clarity of exposition, including the use of specific vocabulary, will be taken into account as particularly relevant aspects of the answers given.

The exam will be structured as a series of open questions. Questions will be six 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 rather extended, answers;
3-6. questions 3-6 will require more synthetic answers.
Overall, questions 2 and 3-6 will (more or less) account for the other half of the final evaluation (more specifically, question 2 will weigh more than questions 3-6 taken individually).
Exam duration will be 90 minutes.

written

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, the course contents and all the literary texts examined 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.