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Tales of the Unexpected: Paradoxography, Fiction and the Culture of Wonder

Module description

This module focuses on Roman prose fiction of the imperial era and its connections with Wunderkultur – that is, weird and wonderful things which people of the time could experience in their everyday life and depict, or find depicted, in novels. We will take as our starting-point the development in the ancient world of the literary genre which was devoted to the bizarre (paradoxography), but our main set texts will be Petronius’ famous account of a most eccentric dinner in his Satyricon, and the story of the magical adventures of a man turned into a donkey in Apuleius’ Golden Ass (or Metamorphoses). These texts, which you will read in full (in English translation), offer us a unique insight into the ancient experience of fiction and the intellectual tastes of imperial readers and their world-view, combining popular culture with philosophy, urban legends with well-established literary traditions, tales about werewolves and witches with realism and social commentary. There are no formal prerequisites for this module, but imagination, curiosity and a commitment to the transformative power of fiction are a must.

Module aims - intentions of the module

To expand your critical abilities to examine fiction as a means for imaginative exploration of the ancient thought-world, and to examine the dialogue between fiction and its wider contemporary culture of intellectual inquiry and entertainment.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of a wide range of ancient prose fiction, and evaluate and discuss its significance
• 2. Identify and explain the various theoretical approaches to prose fiction in the ancient world, and demonstrate awareness of the subject’s central themes and issues
• 3. Demonstrate awareness of the extent to which interpretations of ancient prose fiction are shaped by changing modern concerns
• 4. Demonstrate a good knowledge of the history and variety of scholarship on ancient prose fiction and an understanding of how this scholarship can inform your own interpretation of the texts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Identify, appreciate and engage effectively with different theoretical approaches to ancient texts
• 6. Demonstrate sophisticated critical and analytical skills which can be applied to the analysis of texts and fictional narratives from any culture
• 7. Demonstrate appreciation of the issues involved in using ancient texts as historical source material and relate texts to their socio-historical context

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 8. Demonstrate advanced independent and group study skills in research, critical analysis, and presentation of findings
• 9. Demonstrate advanced ability to select and organise relevant material to produce an argument
• 10. Demonstrate advanced ability to present a strong, coherent argument in both oral and written forms
• 11. Demonstrate enhanced ability to reflect on your own work, to respond constructively to feedback, and to implement suggestions and improve work on the basis of feedback

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• We will read and discuss chapters 26-78 of Petronius’ Satyricon (Trimalchio’s dinner) as well as the entirety of Apuleius’ Golden Ass (or Metamorphoses). In addition to these set texts, we will consider selections from Phlegon of Tralles’ Book of Marvels.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Re-assessed essay will count for same as original essay (100%).

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• S. J. Harrison (ed.), Oxford readings in the Roman novel (Oxford, 1999). 
• H. Hofmann (ed.), Latin fiction: the Latin novel in context (London, 1999). 
• N. Holzberg, The Ancient Novel: An Introduction (English tr., London and New York, 1995). 
• G. Kazantzidis (ed.), Medicine and paradoxography in the ancient world (Berlin, 2019). 
• I. Repath & J. Prag. (edd.), Petronius: a handbook (Oxford, 2013). 
• G. Schmeling (ed.), The novel in the ancient world (Leiden, 1996/2003). 
• P.G. Walsh, The Roman novel (Cambridge, 1970). 
• T. Whitmarsh (ed.), The Cambridge companion to the Greek and Roman novel (Cambridge, 2008). 

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11499
  

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Ancient Narrative – www.ancientnarrative.com (available through Library catalogue)

Key words search

Ancient novel, fiction, paradoxography, Apuleius, Petronius, Phlegon