Trzaskoma, Smith, & Brunet, Anthology of Classical Myth
Harris & Platzner, Classical Mythology: Images & Insights, fourth edition
Homer, Odyssey, tr. Fitzgerald (with introduction by Carne-Ross)
Miller, Greek Lyric: An Anthology in Translation
Pindar, Odes, tr. Bowra
Literary merit, to be sure, is more or less a "judgment call", and not everyone will have the same opinion. The instructor, for example, tends to rank Hesiod lower than most critics do. (For a more positive view of Hesiod, cf. the statement in Trzaskoma, Smith, and Brunet [henceforth abbreviated "TSB"], second line from the bottom of p. 129, concerning the "greatness" of this poet.) On the other hand, there is really not much debate about some texts, such as the Iliad and Odyssey and the works of Sophocles.
Besides specifically "literary" texts, dealing with individual areas of myth (such as the Trojan War material covered by Homer and the Theban material covered in several of Sophocles' plays), there are also various more or less comprehensive treatments of Classical myth generally. Well-known modern treatments of mythology, such as Edith Hamilton, Mythology or Barry Powell, Classical Myth, present such a synthesis of mythology. There were also ancient equivalents of these, such as the Library of Apollodorus (TSB, pp. 17-57), or, in a more disjointed and/or incomplete fashion, the works of Antoninus Liberalis (TSB, pp. 9-16), Proclus (TSB, pp. 378-382), and Hyginus (TSB, pp. 216-276). By almost no one's definition would the works of these authors (Apollodorus, Antoninus Liberalis, Proclus, and Hyginus) qualify as having significant literary merit; however, they are of considerable cultural significance, inasmuch as they fill out important details in various myths which are sometimes merely alluded to by major literary authors.
Readings are more or less evenly divided between (1) summary and interpretation (both in the "Chapters" in Harris & Platzner [henceforth abbreviated "H&P"], in contrast to their "Readings", and in the introductory sections and notes in TSB and by Fitzgerald, Carne-Ross, Miller, and Bowra) and (2) original literary texts (in translation). Overall, though, the emphasis is on original literary texts, as indicated below with underlining.) Correspondingly, the various modern summaries and interpretations should be regarded as being less definitive - even though some authors (particularly H&P) can give one the impression that their interpretations capture all that is essential in an ancient text.
Aug.28-Sept. 1: Introductory and general material in TSB, as follows: "Note to Students", pp. xvi-xxiii, along with several pages in "Note to Instructors", viz., "Ancient Approaches to Myth" through "Myth as a Source of Inspiration", pp. xxvi-xxx ). Also, note the maps, pp. xxxiii-xl ; genealogical charts, pp. xlii-liii ; timelines, pp. liv-lvii; and "Note on Names and Transliteration", pp. 483-485. Particularly important among the genealogical charts are nos. 2, 8a, 8c, 15, and 16. Also, there is a useful map in Fitzgerald, between p. lxx and p. 1
H&P, ch. 1, pp. 3-35. H&P, ch. 2, pp. 36-55. Xenophanes in Miller, frs. 1, 5-13 (nos. are Miller's), pp. 107-108, 110-111. Miller's translations of all of these except no. 1 are also available in TSB, pp. 433-434.
Class discussion will focus on variation between different translations of Xenophanes through a comparison of Miller's translations of Xenophanes with Barnstone's (H&P, p. 37).
Sept. 4: LABOR DAY - no class.
Sept. 6-8: Hesiod, Theogony, TSB summary, pp. 129-131; Theogony, lines 1-115 (TSB, pp. 131-135); various children of Zeus and other gods, lines 886-969 (TSB, pp. 156-158).
Apollodorus on the origin of the gods, TSB, "A1, A2, B1" pp. 17-19.
H&P, ch. 3, pp. 59-84. Note that H&P, pp. 85-102, include selections from Hesiod, in the same translation (Lombardo's) as TSB, but with some omissions, resulting in confusingly different line numbers.
Discussion of artistic representations of the birth of Athena, viz., on the Parthenon pediments and in archaic vase painting, H&P, p. 5 and p. 80. Note that throughout the term there will be some - but not a great deal - treatment of ancient artistic representations of myth.
Sept. 11-13: Proclus, on Trojan War, TSB, pp. 378-382. H&P, ch. 12, pp. 357-376. Homer, Iliad, Book 1, H&P, pp. 377-393. Ideally, one should read the entire Iliad, but Book 1 may give enough of a sense of the whole. For the rest of the Iliad, cf. H&P summaries of Books 2-24 (bold-face material in brackets, pp. 393-394, 396, 400, 403, 405, 414-415, 417, 421, 424, 429, 438, 442, 448.)
Pindar, Isthmian 8 (Bowra, pp. 51-55). H&P on Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, pp. 117-124. Lucian on Prometheus, Zeus, and Thetis (TSB, pp. 280-281); Eris at wedding of Peleus and Thetis (TSB, p. 285).
Sept. 15: H&P, ch. 13, pp. 450-468. Homer, Odyssey, Book 1, Fitzgerald, pp. 1-15. (Most, but not all of this, is also available, with somewhat different line numbers, in Lombardo's translation in H&P, pp. 469-476.) Remarks on oral poetry. H&P, two paragraphs on p. 363 ("The Question of Authorship"). Carne-Ross, pp. lxvi-lxx in introduction to Fitzgerald, Odyssey. Class lecture will cite passages from both Fitzgerald and Lombardo (and other translators) as illustrative of Homer's poetic style.
Sept. 18: Discussion of writing systems: Linear B, alphabetic Greek, development of the text of Homer. Thomas Palaima on Linear B in TSB, pp. 439-454. Reread TSB "Note on Names and Transliteration", pp. 483-485.
Sept. 20-22: Homer, Odyssey, Books 2-5. (Fitzgerald, pp. 17-95.)
Sept. 25: Odyssey, 8.280-396 (Fitzgerald's line numbers, pp. 132-136), presented by H&P as a separate excerpt (Lombardo's translation), "Loves of Ares and Aphrodite", pp. 211-213. An on-line recitation of this section of the Odyssey in Greek, with more or less the original pronunciation and some attempt at reproducing the original musical accompaniment, is available at http://www.oeaw.ac.at/kal/sh/index.htm
Sept. 27: H&P, ch. 9, pp. 283-301. Odyssey, Book 11 (Fitzgerald, pp. 183-206).
Sept. 29: Xenophanes, fr. 3 (7a), Miller, p. 109. Selection from Plato, Republic ("Myth of Er"), TSB, pp. 367-372; also, material from Plato, Apology (handout will be provided). Critias on Sisyphos, TSB, pp. 92-93. Lucian on Odysseus and Ajax, TSB, pp. 279-280.
Oct. 2: Odyssey, Book 19 - Book 20.138 (Fitzgerald's line numbers, pp. 351-379). Fitzgerald's "Postscript", part 2, sects. iv-vi, pp. 496-509. For the question of Penelope's recognition of Odysseus, see also H&P's brief presentation, paragraph in middle of p. 352, and Carne-Ross, pp. xlix-liv. Also, cf. H&P treatment of Eumaios' recognition of Odysseus, in summary of Books 13-23, p. 517.
Oct. 4: Discussion of phrase, "Cretans are always liars", found at Paul, Epistle to Titus, 1.12 (handout will be provided). Pandareos in Antoninus Liberalis, no. 36, TSB, pp. 14-15. Also, handout will be provided for additional material from Antoninus Liberalis.
Oct. 6: Odyssey, Books 23 and 24 (Fitzgerald, pp. 427-462).
Oct. 9: Catch-up and Review, etc.
Oct. 11: TEST. The test will consist of about 10 questions and/or passages for identification. Each of these 10 or so items will require a paragraph or so of discussion. More specific information concerning the test will be provided around the third week of September.
Oct. 13: Near Eastern and Indo-European background of Greek mythology. H&P on Pandora and Eve, pp. 108-114. H&P on flood, pp. 125-126. H&P on Gilgamesh epic, pp. 114-115, 306-307.
Oct. 16: Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, TSB, pp. 197-202.
Oct. 18: Sappho in Miller, introductory note and frs. 1, 4, 6 , 8, 12 (Miller's nos.), pp. 51-52, 54-56, 58. Discussion of priamel and ring-composition, cf. Miller, bottom of p. 19 and bottom of p. 54. (Miller refers to "ring-form", rather than "ring-composition".) Fr. 1 is also available in Miller's translation in TSB, pp. 385-386.
Note that the statement in TSB, p. 385 that fr. 1 is "the only one of Sappho's poems to have survived in its entirety" is now more or less out of date. In 2004-2005, a new fragment, constituting a virtually complete poem, was discovered and published. For information concerning this, see
http://glaukopidos.blogspot.com/2005/06/newly-discovered-sappho-poem.html
Oct. 20: Pindar, Olympian 1 in Miller, pp. 125-131. Xenophanes, frs. 2, 4 (Miller, pp. 108-109, 110). Pindar, Olympian 2 in Miller, pp. 131-136.
Oct. 23: H&P, first half of ch. 17, pp. 737-748. Pindar, Pythian 4 in Bowra, pp. 188-205.
Oct. 25-27: Herodotus, introductory note in TSB, p. 123. Herodotus on Croesus (handout will be provided); Bacchylides, Ode 3 in Miller, pp. 201-205.
Oct. 30: Catch-up and Review
Nov. 1: TEST.
Nov. 3: Discussion of ESSAY (700-1000 words, about 3-4 pages); first draft is due by Nov. 20. The essay should deal with the reuse of myth in a "modern" source. One possibility is Tennyson, Ulysses as a treatment of Odysseus. Another is the 2004 film Troy. (Full script of this film is available at http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Troy.html )
The rationale for using Tennyson or Benioff's script rather than Homer (or Sophocles, or the like) as a basis for an essay in a course on mythology and literature is that nuances of language are important in dealing with any literary treatment of myth. Translations from Greek or Latin, though, cannot always handle such nuances very well. Besides obscuring some points, translations can sometimes add seemingly significant nuances which are not really present in the original. (This point concerning the way in which translations can distort the original will be made several times in the class lectures.) A modern text or screenplay, on the other hand, is not subject to distortion through translation - and the modern version can also be treated as a new "variant" on an ancient myth.
Proclus' summary of Telegony, TSB, p. 382. Tennyson, Ulysses (H&P, pp. 1033-1034).
Nov. 6: H&P, chs. 14-15, pp. 529-560. Discussion of structure of Greek tragedy. Definition of the term "trilogy", discussion of the way in which dialogue and choral sections are combined, etc. Aeschylus, Agamemnon, H&P, pp. 561-591. Iphigeneia / Iphianassa, as dealt with by Antoninus Liberalis, no. 27, TSB, p. 13; Hyginus, nos. 98, 120, TSB, p. 245, p. 251; Lucretius, selection from Book 1, TSB, pp. 298-301.
Nov. 8: H&P, ch. 16, pp. 630-648. Theban cycle in Apollodorus,, TSB, ("L1-M10") pp. 45-54. Hyginus, nos. 66-76, TSB, pp. 235-239. Riddle of Sphinx, as given by Apollodorus, TSB, p. 50. Cf. Athenaeus, handout will be provided. Also, cf. Riddle of Sphinx, in H&P, p. 637. Pausanias, TSB, "N-O", pp. 352-353. Also, cf. Palaephatus, "The Cadmeian Sphinx", TSB, pp. 331-332. Reread H&P on Greek humanism, pp. 20-22.
Nov. 10: Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, H&P, pp. 649-697.
Nov. 13: Thucydides, introductory note in TSB, p. 404. Thucydides on plague at Athens, etc. (handout will be provided).
Nov. 15: Continued treatment of Sophocles, Oedipus Rex.
Nov. 20: Preliminary version of ESSAY (700-1000 words) is due.
Sophocles, Antigone, H&P, pp. 698-734. Discussion of different translations of Antigone's speech, H&P, p. 710, lines 307-325. Handout with other translations will be provided. Discussion of Antigone's speech, H&P, p. 723, lines 666-678 (much of this speech is omitted in the Fitts & Fitzgerald translation, which H&P use). Handout with other translations will be provided.
Nov. 22-24. THANKSGIVING BREAK, no classes.
Nov. 27: Continued discussion of Sophocles, Antigone.
Nov. 29: H&P, chs. 18-19, pp. 857-890. Beginning of Vergil, Aeneid, H&P, 891-892 (to "It was so hard to found the race of Rome"). Vergil, Aeneid, introductory note and selections from Book 2 ("2a-2f"), TSB, pp. 410-417.
Dec. 1: Vergil, Aeneid, selections from Book 6, TSB, pp. 421-430. Material from Book 6 continues in H&P, pp. 942-943, but both TSB and H&P omit important sections on "mission of Rome" and gates of horn and ivory (handout will be provided). Conclusion of Aeneid, H&P, pp. 950-952.
Dec. 4: Revised version of essay (700-1000 words) is due.
Discussion of Nonnus, Dionysiaca and Paraphrase of John; handout will be provided. (Some information concerning Nonnus is available at Tony Prost's website, at http://nonnos.iscool.net/ ).
H&P, on parallels between the worship of Dionysos and Christianity, pp. 271-276, and p. 300 (next to last paragraph). Greco-roman mythology and other world views, especially Christianity. Sallustius, TSB, pp. 383-384.
Dec. 6: Continued discussion of Nonnus.
Dec. 8: Catch-up and review.
Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2:00-3:50 - EXAM. The test will probably consist of about 18 questions and/or passages for identification. Each of these items will require a paragraph or so of discussion.