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Classical Language and Texts: Greek V: Epic

Module description

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are (probably) the earliest surviving examples of Greek literature, but, far from being primitive or crudely fashioned, they are works of monumental scope, sophistication and power. These are extraordinary narratives, full of human interest, emotional intensity and intellectual stimulus. Homer’s epics relate, at length, central episodes from the Trojan War and the homecoming of the hero Odysseus: they are great stories, but they also have much to tell us about heroism, religion, society, power, ethics, personal relationships, the nature of the world, and the human condition. In this module we read several books of Homer in the original Greek language, as well as fragments of other lost poems from the Greek Epic Cycle.

Module aims - intentions of the module

• To produce advanced understanding of the language, style and significance of Greek epic by close study of selected works in the original Greek. The prescribed texts include portions of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey as well as a representative selection of fragments from the Greek Epic Cycle. Emphasis will be placed not just on close reading of the Greek texts but also on the historical, literary and social context that gave rise to epic poetry.

• Through detailed study of the prescribed texts, commentaries and secondary literature (and also through more extensive reading of the entire Iliad and Odyssey in translation), you will also be encouraged to engage with broader questions about the epic genre, such as: who was Homer? How did the Iliad and Odyssey come to be written? How do these epics relate to the world that produced them? What do they have to say about heroism, religion, society, power, personal relationships, ethics, the nature of the world, and the human condition?  What are the main characteristics of oral poetry? What can we know about the other, ‘cylic’ Greek epics, and how do they relate to Homeric epic?

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the language, style and content of the texts studied
• 2. Describe in detail and provide an advanced analysis of the form and significance of the genre of Greek epic

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 3. Demonstrate advanced linguistic mastery of ancient Greek
• 4. Show enhanced critical and interpretative skills
• 5. Locate literary texts in their cultural context

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 6. Show a capacity for sustained independent analysis of literary texts in a foreign (ancient) language
• 7. Discuss the content and form of these texts with peers and instructor

Syllabus plan

22 two-hour seminars, with instructor and students exploring closely the Greek texts and their significance. Seminars will concentrate on important passages taken from texts/fragments, with instructor and students sharing in translation, interpretation and discussion.

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

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

Re-assessment notes

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

Prescribed texts:

• Homer, Iliad III (ed. J.T. Hooker, Bristol Classical Press/Bloomsbury)
• Homer, Iliad XXIV (ed. C. Macleod, Cambridge University Press)
• Homer, Odyssey VI-VIII (ed. A. Garvie, Cambridge University Press)
• Selected fragments of Oedipodeia, Thebaid, Epigoni, Cypria, Aethiopis, Little Iliad, Sack of Ilion, Nostoi: in M.L. West (ed.),Greek Epic Fragments (Loeb Classical Library).

A detailed reading schedule, including a complete list of fragments to be studied and a full secondary bibliography, will be provided by the module lecturer.

Selected further reading:

• M. Davies, The Greek Epic Cycle (Bristol, 1989).
• De Jong, A Narratological Commentary on the Odyssey (Cambridge, 2001).
• M.L. Edwards, Homer, Poet of the Iliad (Baltimore, 1987).
• M.I. Finley, The World of Odysseus (London, 1978).
• T. Gantz, Early Greek Myth (Baltimore, 1993).
• J. Griffin, ‘The Epic Cycle and the Uniqueness of Homer’, JHS 97 (1977), 39-53.
• R. Rutherford, Homer (Greece and Rome New Surveys: revised edition, Cambridge, 2013).
• O.P. Taplin, Homeric Soundings (Oxford, 1992).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6419

Key words search

Greek poetry, epic literature