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Ancient Literary Criticism

Module description

This module provides an introduction to the study of literary criticism in antiquity which encourages you to reflect on the nature of literature in general. The ancient critics studied include Homer, Hesiod, Theognis, Pindar, Gorgias, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Longinus, Callimachus, Cicero, Horace, Seneca the Younger, Quintilian, Plutarch and others. You will cover all the major themes and topics of ancient criticism, including mimesis, truth and falsehood, poetic inspiration, the social function of poetry, the figure of the poet, theories of style, allegorical readings of literature, theories of unity, rhetoric, genre and taste, and the role of literature in education.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• Examine a wide variety of ancient approaches to literary criticism, through detailed study of a representative selection of Greek and Latin texts (in English translation).
• Give you a clear sense of the history and development of literary criticism as a discipline through a broadly chronological approach to the material (starting with the very earliest Greek authors and moving forward through critical texts of the classical Greek, Hellenistic and Roman periods).
• Make comparisons and contrasts between ancient and modern criticism, where relevant.
• Encourage reflective thinking about the nature of literature and the role of the critic.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate a broad and detailed knowledge of a wide selection of a large number of primary texts relating to ancient literary criticism (in English translation)
• 2. Demonstrate a general knowledge of the character of ancient literary criticism, including major themes and developments within the discipline
• 3. Reflect critically on the nature of criticism and the role of the literary critic

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Use, analyse and critically evaluate ancient texts, demonstrating skills that can be applied to a wider range of texts from any culture
• 5. Demonstrate advanced academic and library skills specific to Classics and Ancient History

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 6. Demonstrate independent study skills in research and the presentation of findings
• 7. Demonstrate an ability to select and organise relevant material and present a strong argument
• 8. Demonstrate clarity in the communication of ideas

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:

Term 1

• Introduction: ancient and modern theories of literature,
• Early Greek views of poetry: Homer, Hesiod and the lyric poets as critics,
• Literary criticism in fifth-century drama,
• The sophistic movement and the birth of rhetoric,
• Rhapsodes and inspiration: Plato's Ion and Protagoras,
• The role of poetry in education: Plato, Republic 2-3,
• The dangers of poetry: Plato, Republic 10,
• Mimesis and related concepts,
• The taxonomy of genre: Aristotle's Poetics,
• The best type of tragedy: Aristotle's Poetics (continued),
• True greatness in literature: Longinus,
• On the Sublime.

Term 2

• The economy of prestige: literary and cultural prizes,
• Hatchet jobs: literary polemic and the use of metaphor,
• The Callimachean aesthetic and the anxiety of influence,
• The satirist's self-defence: Horace and Lucilius,
• Horace's literary epistles and the Ars Poetica,
• Cicero's dialogue On the Orator
• Greek and Roman theories of style,
• The orator's training: Quintilian's Institutio,
• Plutarch's approach to literature: How the Young Man Should Study Poetry,
• Ancient biographers, scholiasts and lexicographers.

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

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 text:

• Selections from D.A. Russell and M. Winterbottom (ed.), Ancient Literary Criticism: The Principal Texts in New Translations (Oxford, 1972).

(The module director will supply a detailed list of prescribed texts and passages.)

Selected secondary reading:

• E. Dickey, Ancient Greek Scholarship (Oxford, 2007).
• A. Ford, The Origins of Criticism (Princeton, 2002).
• G. Ledbetter, Poetics Before Plato (Princeton, 2003).Laird (ed.), Oxford Readings in Ancient Literary Criticism (Oxford, 2006).
• G. Kennedy (ed.), Cambridge History of Literary Criticism: Vol. I (Cambridge, 1989).
• M.E. Wright, The Comedian as Critic (London, 2012).

(A full and detailed secondary bibliography will be supplied by the module director.)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11138
  

Key words search

Greek, Roman, literature, criticism