CCIV 272: Reading Roman Decadence
Molly Pasco-Pranger
e-mail: mpranger@wesleyan.edu |
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Weeks 10-15: Literary decadence? Neronian Rome
Reminder: Each student must complete two response papers during this unit.You should also be working on your final paper throughout this unit. Conferences concerning the paper will be scheduled for 11/21-11/26.
Monday 11/4
READING (on the French and English Decadent movement of the late 19th century):
A. Hustvedt, "The Art of Death: French Fiction at the Fin de Siècle," 1998 (handout).
Joris-Karl Huysmans, Against the Grain (A Rebours) (1884). Read the Notice and Chapters 1-3.
IN CLASS: Lecture/discussion on self-conscious literary decadence.
Wednesday 11/6
READING:
Vergil, The Aeneid, beginning of Book 1 (handout).
Lucan, The Civil War, Books 1 and 2 (handout).
Monday 11/11
READING:
Persius, Prologue, Satires 1 and 3 (handout).
E. Gowers, "Persius and the Decoction of Nero", 1994 (handout).
IN CLASS: Demonstration of a few on-line resources for research.
Wednesday 11/13
READING:
Seneca, Thyestes (handout).
A. Schiesaro, "Seneca's Thyestes and the morality of tragic furor," 1994 (handout).
Monday 11/18
READING:
Reread: Tacitus, Annales 16.18-19, on Petronius (the link is to section 16.18; click on the arrow to read the next section as well).
Petronius, Satyrica, Introduction and pp. 3-22.
Wednesday 11/20
READING:
Petronius, Satyrica, pp. 23-73.
J. Bodel, "Trimalchio's Underworld," 1993 (reserve).
Monday 11/25
IN CLASS: Viewing of Fellini Satyricon.
OUTSIDE OF CLASS 11/21-11/26: individual conferences about final paper. Please e-mail a brief statement of your ideas for a topic to me at least 24 hours before your appointment time. In the conference we can work on focussing the topic if necessary and talk over some possible bibliography.
Monday 12/2
READING:
Petronius, Satyrica, pp. 75-128.
Wednesday 12/4
READING:
Petronius, Satyrica, pp. 129-152.
C. Connors, "Famous Last Words: Authorship and Death in the Satiricon and Neronian Rome", 1994 (reserve).
Monday 12/9
IN CLASS DISCUSSION OF PAPERS. Be prepared to talk for about 5 minutes about your paper. By this point you should already have done some substantive work on researching and organizing your paper, if not on actually writing it. Plan to present your work as coherently and articulately as you can at its present stage. If you have places in your argument that are still rough or that need more support, feel free to ask the class for help. Also be prepared to accept from your classmates challenges to or refinements of your argument.
The final paper is due in my box in Science Center 341, under my office door, or in my e-mail inbox by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday 12/17.