Roman Poetry

The section on Roman poetry in CCII will continue in October. Despite this unfortunate interruption and the very short space of time in which to introduce a full and varied body of poetry, I hope that students may become interested enough to pursue various works and authors by themselves. The idea behind introducing First Century verse through Catullus was to try to demonstrate how typically Hellenized his education and imagination was, the role of tradition and imitation and the intertextual, the consciously contrived or artificial character of early roman poetry. At the same time I feel it is quite important to have a strong sense of how alien Catullus and his Ancient Rome is to our own time and also, in some ways how like our time, how easily sympathized with. My primary wish was to demonstrate what a complex act it is to read ancient poetry, how fraught it is but also what a pleasure it can be. I hope that in some way I have begun to show the variety of approaches that can be taken and promoted a certain spirit of intelligent, qualified and sensitive appreciation of this poetry, which is both so ancient and so fresh. Here are the essay questions and some suggested readings for this Catullus section.

This is preliminary, please occasionally check this weblog for further updates and elaborations. Within the next week I will add links and load further readings and articles.

Roman Poetry I

How to read a Roman Poem


Texts

Grant, M. (trans.) ‘Pro Caelio’in Cicero: selected political speeches
(Harmondsworth, 1969)


Whigam, P. (trans.) The poems of Catullus (Berkeley, 1966)



Introduction

Easterling, P.E. & Knox, B.M.W. Cambridge History of Classical Literature, vol.1 Greek Literature (Cambridge, 1985)

Kenney, E.J. (ed.) Cambridge History of Classical Literature, vol. 2 Latin Literature
(Cambridge, 1982)

Hutchinson, G.O. Hellenistic Poetry (Oxford, 1990)

Catullus, Cicero, women in the ancient world


Arkins, B. Sexuality in Catullus (Hildesheim, 1982)

Bauman, R. Women & politics in the ancient world (London, 1992)

Bing, P. & Cohen, R. (edd.) Games of Venus : an anthology of Greek and Roman
erotic verse from Sappho to Ovid (New York, 1991)

Fitzgerald, W. Catullan provocations: lyric poetry & the drama of position
(Berkeley, 1995)

Fordyce, C.J. Catullus: a commentary (Oxford, 1961)

Geffcken, K. Comedy in the Pro Caelio (Leiden, 1973)

Goold, G.P. (ed.) Catullus edited with introduction, translation & notes (London, 1983)

Greene, E. The erotics of domination : male desire and the mistress in Latin Love
Poetry (Baltimore, 1998)

Discourses of desire: modes of self-represntation in greek & latin love poetry
(Michigan, 1994)

Griffin, J. Latin poets and roman life (London, 1985)

Hawley, R. & Levick, B. (edd.) Women in antiquity: new assesments (London, 1995)

Lyne, R. The Latin love poets: fom Catullus to Horace (Oxford, 1980)

Macmullen, R. Roman social relations 50 B.C. to A.D. 284 (New Haven, 1974)

Pomeroy, S. B. Goddesses, whores, wives & slaves: women in classical antiquity
(New York, 1975)

Putnam, M.C.J. Essays on Latin lyric, elegy and epic (New Jersey, 1982)

Quinn, K. The Catullan Revolution (Cambridge, 1969)*- this is a very helpful
work, since it has not arrived here yet, order it through inter
library loans.

(ed.) Approaches to Catullus (Cambridge, 1972)

Catullus- the poems (London, 1973)

Ross, D. Style & tradition in Catullus (Cambridge, Mass., 1969)

Veyne, P. Roman erotic elegy: love, poetry and the West [trans. Pellauer, D.] (Chiacago, 1988)

Wheeler, A.L. Catullus & the traditions of ancient poetry (Berkeley, 1934)

Whitaker, R. Myth and personal experience in Roman love-elegy : a study in poetic technique (Goettingen, 1983)




Williams, G. Tradition & originality on roman poetry (Oxford, 1968)

Wiseman, T.P. Catullus & his world: a reappraisal (Cambridge, 1985)

Wood, N. Cicero’s social & political thought (Berkeley, 1988)

Wray, D. Catullus & the poetics of roman manhood (Cambridge, 2001)





Essay questions

1. Assume that Lesbia is also the Clodia of Cicero’s diatribe and discuss her representation in the works of Catullus and Cicero.

2. Discuss some of the questions of tradition and originality in roman poetry with
special reference to the work of Catullus.