Greek Literature Seminar

Teacher(s)

Doyen Charles;

Language

French
> English-friendly

Prerequisites

LGLOR1442 or equivalent level

Main themes

In-depth study of a section of Greek literature in relation to a given theme.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	identify and contextualize authors and works related to the theme studied;
2	write an essay related to the year's theme, involving a selection of relevant excerpts from the works studied and including literary, historical, stylistic and cultural considerations;
3	conduct personal research as an extension of the course.

Content

The seminar will study literary creation (poiêsis) during the Archaic period under its double aspect (composition and performance). We will focus on the epic—and, more specifically, the Homeric Iliad—, but students will be encouraged to think about literature during the Archaic period in a wider context, by considering its relations with social, political and cultural structures. They will achieve a new understanding of the concepts of literary author, work, genre, and audience. The seminar will also focus on the transmission of epic, first in its oral phase, then in its written phase. In this respect, we will consider the difficulties posed by the manuscript tradition and textual editions of epic. Finally, the seminar will analyze the Early Archaic cultural concepts and institutions conveyed by the epic, in particular glory (kleos aphthiton), sorrow (akhos, penthos, aethlos), emulation (eris, agôn), and justice (timê, themis, dikê, moira, kosmos).

Teaching methods

The seminar consists of lectures based on reading assignment.

Evaluation methods

Personal oral presentation during the term (20%) and written examen during the session consisting of an essay (50%) and MCQ (30%).

Online resources

Course notes are available on Moodle.

Bibliography

• D. Bouvier, Le sceptre et la lyre. L’Iliade ou les héros de la mémoire, 2002.
• Ph. Brunet, Naissance de la littérature dans la Grèce ancienne, 1997.
• W. Burkert, The Orientalizing Revolution. Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age, 1995².
• V. Du Sablon, Le système conceptuel de l’ordre du monde dans la pensée grecque à l’époque archaïque, 2014.
• J. M. Foley, A companion to ancient epic, 2005.
• Lord, The Singer of Tales, 1960.
• G. Nagy, Le Meilleur des Achéens. La fabrique du héros dans la poésie grecque archaïque, 1994 = The Best of the Achaeans. Concepts of the Hero in Archaic Greek Poetry, 19992.
• G. Nagy, La poésie en acte : Homère et autres chants, 2000 = Poetry as Performance, 1996.
• M. L. West, The Making of the Iliad. Disquisition and Analytical Commentary, 2011.
• M. L. West, The East Face of Helicon. West Asiatic Elements in Greek Poetry and Myth, 1999.

Teaching materials

• Syllabus / Coursebook (disponible / available on Moodle)

Faculty or entity

> EHAC