INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL CULTURE

The course has the aim of giving students an overview on Greek and Roman literary culture, and in particular on the Iambic, Comic, and Satirical Tradition. Meanwhile the great fortune of subsequent modern development will be briefly mentioned.
With an important purpose, we want to learn exactly what to do with Classics for culture today and in the future.

The course aims to train students in a series of skills on the classical Greek and Roman world, with a scientific path through the genres of spoudogeloion, from Homer to the end of the ancient world, and with projections in the modern times.
In relation to these perspectives, the course builds the skills to experiment the knowledge acquired on antiquity in applications in the contemporary culture, with a transversal look that compares ancient and modern. From the scholarly knowledge the student tries to produce a more concrete realization of systems of interpretation for contemporary culture, with a wide-ranging opening in front of every problem of the current world. Just to give an example, you can better evaluate the problems of freedom of speech starting from the concept of parrhesia, with its ambiguity and its complexity in Athenian democracy, and so we can try to understand the problem of freedom of speech in modern society. And we can understand better the problem of Charlie Hebdo, the fake news or the lies of wartime propaganda.

No background in classical languages (ancient Greek and Latin) is required.
Of course, those who have a basic knowledge of ancient cultures and languages will have a useful support for their work. Those who have no knowledge of ancient Greek can learn it following the language courses of the Greek Laboratory. Those who want to deepen their knowledge in a scientific perspective can attend the courses of Greek Language and Literature and Classical Philology.

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH: WAR AND PEACE, NATURE, ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH THE EYES OF THE ANCIENT CLASSICS
In the general context of Greek and Roman culture will be presented an analysis of the iambic, comic and satirical tradition.
A) Greek literature. Homer and trhe geloion. Iambic poetry: Archilochus, Hipponax, Semonides. Epic parody. The fable of Aesop. Democracy and parrhesia. The political comedy: Aristophanes. The satyr play. Socrates and the Cynics. The satire of Lucian of Samosata.
B) Latin literature. The comic theater at Rome. Plautus. Varro and the Menippean satire. Satura tota nostra est. Lucilius. Horace. The Satyricon of Petronius. The Apocolocynthosis of Seneca. The epigrams of Martial. The satires of Juvenal. Developments in the Humanistic and European Literature.
It is in the program the reading of several works of the principal authors of program (in translation with the original text to the front): Anthology of iambic Satura tota nostra est. Aristophanes, Lysistrata. Lucian of Samosata, Menippus (Necyomantia). Horace, Satires, Book I. Seneca, Apocolocyntosis. Petronius, Satyricon. Perseus, Satires. Juvenal, Satires.
C) From the theories of ancient satire to the present world
Experimentation with modern or contemporary applications is expected
in relation to the texts and theories of ancient satire.

ANCIENT AUTHORS. TEXTS
Aristofane, Pace, a c. di G. Paduano, BUR, Milano
Luciano, Menippo o la Negromanzia, a c. di A. Camerotto, MIMESIS, Milano-Udine 2020.
Seneca, L'apoteosi negata (Apokolokyntosis), a c. di R. Roncali, Marsilio, Venezia 2000.
For all the other ancient authors, the texts are provided by the teacher in the teaching materials on the Moodle platform.

Bibliography
A. RODIGHIERO, Civiltà letteraria della Grecia antica, Zanichelli, 2025.
M. Bachtin, Dostoevskij. Poetica e stilistica, Torino 1968 (pp. 139-142 Spoudogeloion [PDF], 147-155 Satira menippea [PDF]).
A. Camerotto, Le virtù e le imprese di Menippo e dei suoi colleghi nella satira di Luciano, Nuntius Antiquus, vol. 8-9 (2012-2013), pp. 7-46 [PDF].
A. Camerotto, Per una definizione di parodia (riduzione da Le metamorfosi della parola. Studi sulla parodia in Luciano di Samosata, Pisa-Roma, 1998, 15-73 (cap. 1) [PDF].
A. Camerotto, Blasfemie olimpiche, in R. Cuppone, E. Fuoco (edd.), Blasphemia. Il teatro e il sacro, Vicenza 2018, pp. 23-38 [PDF]
M. Citroni, Musa pedestre, in Lo spazio letterario di Roma antica, Volume I, La produzione del testo, Roma 1989, pp. 311-342. [PDF]
C. Pepe, L'invenzione di un genere: identità e modelli della satira latina, in G. Alfano (ed.), La satira in versi. Storia di un genere letterario europeo, Carocci, Roma 2015, pp. 27-48. [PDF]
A. Camerotto, Utopici Feaci, ovvero a che cosa servono le utopie (secondo Omero), in A. Camerotto, F. Pontani (edd.), Utopia (Europa). Ovvero del diventare cittadini europei , Milano-Udine, MIMESIS, vol. 12, pp. 13-34 [PDF]

For an experimentation and a concrete application of what can be done with the classics in the current world, reading and accurate knowledge is required:
M.G. Caenaro, BELLATRIX VIRGO. PENTESILEA E LE ALTRE, Paradoxa n. 3, Vittorio Veneto, De Bastiani Editore, 2025

- and of the essays contained in the volume
A. Camerotto, F. Pontani (edd.), Abbracciare Dafne. L'uomo e l'ambiente tra Omero e il futuro prossimo, Milano-Udine, Mimesis, Classici Contro, vol. 21 (ISBN 9791222300788)
1. Filippomaria Pontani, Abbracciare Dafne, pp. 9-16
2. Pierluigi Lanfranchi, Reincantare il mondo. Una rhesis politica, pp. 181-192
3. Alberto Camerotto, L'errore di Prometeo, pp. 193-220.

FREE ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
M. Bettini, L'elogio del politeismo. Quello che possiamo imparare oggi dalle religioni antiche, Il Mulino, Bologna 2014.
S. Settis, Intellettuali e bene comune nella polis, in A. Camerotto - F. Pontani (edd.), Classici Contro, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2012, pp. 61-66.
A. Camerotto, Parole altre per la città, in A. Camerotto - F. Pontani (edd.), Classici Contro, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2012, pp. 123-136.
A. Camerotto - F. Pontani (edd.), L'esilio della bellezza, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2014.
A. Camerotto, LIBERTÀ DI PAROLA. ARCHETIPI MITICI, Paradoxa n. 4, De Bastiani Editore, Vittorio Veneto 2025

The exam consists of a written test, with a large sequence of questions about
a) the theory of literature, particularly of satire and comedy,
b) on literary history,
c) about the translated texts of the ancient authors (in the program),
d) and about the modern studies (in the bibliography).

written

For the evaluation the principle is simple and clear.
Each question corresponds to a percentage evaluation based on the correctness and quality of the answers. The result goes from 0 to 30/30 cum laude.
For example, if there are 15 questions, each answer is assigned a maximum of 2 points based on correctness and completeness: 30 cum laude for a complete and correct test in all answers.
The evaluation, from 0 to 30/30 cum Laude corresponds to the solidity of the preparation based on the following criteria:
1. linguistic knowledge of the texts.
2. metrical reading of poetic texts (hexameter, trimeter, etc.) and ability to analyze and explain the rhythmic-semantic structures.
3. knowledge and scientific discussion of the texts in the program.
4. knowledge and scientific discussion of the course topics.
5. notions of literary history.
6. knowledge and discussion of the studies in the program.
7. iconographic competence and knowledge.

For a reflection on the meanings of the course skills and knowledge see M. BETTINI, A che cosa servono i Greci e i Romani?, Torino 2017, A. CAMEROTTO, Heracles and the Monkey. Paideia and Money in Lucian of Samosata, Mnemosyne 75, 2022, 113-144.

Class teaching. Personal reading of the texts.

This course cannot be attended without the first part ("Introduction to Classical Culture - I"). Together they form the course of "Introduction to Classical Culture" (12 CFU).
The two exams of Introduction to Classical Culture (12 CFU) must be supported by the student during the same Academic Year.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development