Prof. Luca Grillo,
Office phone: (413) 542 2726; cell. (609) 851 5675
Office Hours: Tue. 11-12, Wed. 11-12 (or by appt)
COLQ 35
Fortuna
Required books:
- Plautus, The Pot of Gold and Other Plays, Penguin Classics. 1965, trans. Watling.
- Cicero, Selected Political Speeches, Oxford. 2004, trans. Berry.
- Caesar, The Civil War, Oxford. 2008, trans. Carter.
- Sallust, Catiline’s Conspiracy, The Jugurthine War… Oxford. 2010, trans. Batstone.
- Livy, Hannibal’s War, Oxford. 2009, trans. Hoyos-Yardley.
- Virgil, Aeneid, Oxford. 2007, trans. Ahl.
- Lucan, The Civil War, Oxford. 2008, trans. Braund.
- Seneca, Dialogues and Essays, Oxford. 2009, trans. Reinhardt.
- Apuleius, The Golden Ass, Penguin Classics. 2004, trans. Kenney.
- Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, Penguin Classics. 1996, trans. Grant.
Schedule, themes and assignments:
Week 1
Jan. 25 T Intro + proverbs
Jan. 27 Th Plautus, The Pot of Gold
Week 2
Feb. 1 T Plautus, The Swaggering Soldier + Republican Temples
Feb. 3 Th Plautus, The Prisoners + reports
Week 3
Feb. 8 T Cicero, In Verrem 2.5 + Political System
Feb. 10 Th Cicero, De Imperio Pompei and + In Catilinam 1 and 4 + reports
Week 4
Feb. 15 T Caesar, The Civil War + Epicurean Philosophy and Rome
Feb. 17 Th Sallust, The Jugurthine War + reports
Week 5
Feb. 22 T Livy 22 + Republican Coins
Feb. 24 Th Virgil, Aeneid 1-4 + reports
Week 6
Mar. 1 T Virgil, Aeneid 5-8 + Stoic Philosophy
Mar. 3 Th Virgil, Aeneid 9-12 + reports
Week 7
Mar. 8 T Lucan 1-4 + Imperial Temples, Statues and Images
Mar. 10 Th Lucan 5-7 + reports
Week 8
Mar. 22 T Lucan 8-10 + The Greek Challenge
Mar. 24 Th Seneca, On Providence and On Mercy + reports
Week 9
Mar. 29 T Apuleius, The Golden Ass, pp. 7-71 + Roman Religion I
Mar. 31 Th Apuleius, The Golden Ass, pp. 147-214 + reports
Week 10
Apr. 5 T Conference paper + Roman Religion II
Apr. 7 Th no regular class, please attend the NEAHC 5.30-9ish
Week 11
Apr. 12 T Tacitus, chapters 5, 14, 15, 16 + Imperial Coins
Apr. 14 Th The Book of Job + reports + consult me for your project/paper title
Week 12
Apr. 19 T Selections from Christian writers + The Christian challenge
Apr. 21 Th Selections from Augustine and Boethius + reports + Paper Title
Week 13
Apr. 26 T Research Project Presentations + Final Paper Abstract (1 page)
Apr. 28 Th Research Project Presentations
Week 14
May 3 T Research Project Presentations
May 5 Th Research Project Presentations + Final Paper Draft
May 10 T Final Paper Due
Grade:
Class participation 20 %
Reports 30 %
Project Presentation 20 %
Final paper 30 %
Each student is expected to give 3 reports (~10/15 minutes each), in order to generate a discussion to be lead by the presenter (~10/15 minutes):
Your presentation shall highlight the meaning and role of Fortuna. You may approach your text with these questions in mind: what is Fortuna in your text? How is it different/similar than in other texts by the same author or by other authors? Can you trace any connection between your text and Fortuna in Roman art, coins, politics, etc? Does your text suggest any productive way to keep thinking about Fortuna?
A handout is desirable both to help us to follow the main points of your presentation and to provide relevant passages to which we may return in the course of the discussion.
1st Report: Select a work we are not reading among the required texts (e.g. an oration of Cicero which is not in the syllabus, or a comedy by Plautus, or a dialogue by Seneca, etc.); read it and present it.
2nd Report. Choose an article (there’s many on reserve) or a chapter from a book dealing with Fortuna and present it.
3rd Report. Choose one of the following authors: Polybius, Plutarch, Florus, Curtius Rufus, Ammianus Marcellinus, Terence or Horace. Then consult me and we’ll agree on some selections about Fortuna, to be read and presented.
Your final project presentation is a longer report (~20 minutes + ~20 minutes of discussion) to the rest of the class about your research; it will also be a chance to get feedback before you write up your project for the final paper. Please take note of the following deadlines:
~ April 14, make an apt to talk about ideas for your project;
April 21, title due;
April 26, abstract due (the abstract should not provide a summary, but rather make a case for your contribution);
May 5, draft due;
May 10 paper due.
Books on reserve:
Fontaine, Michael. Funny words in Plautine comedy 2010
Sharrock, Alison Reading Roman comedy 2009
Plautus, Titus Maccius Four comedies, trans Segal 1996
Plautus, Titus Maccius The pot of gold and other plays trans. Watling 1965
Cicero, Marcus Tullius Political speeches, trans Berry 2006
James M. May (ed.) Brill's companion to Cicero 2002
David Sedley (ed.) The Cambridge companion to Greek and Roman philosophy 2003
Long, A. A. and D.N. Sedley The Hellenistic philosophers 1987
Long, A. A. Hellenistic philosophy: Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics 1986
Powell, J. G. Cicero the philosopher 1995
Batstone, W and C. Damon Caesar's Civil War 2006
Carter, J. M. The civil war, book III 1993
Carter, J. M. The civil war, books I & II 1991
Comber and Balmaceda The war against Jugurtha 2009
Chaplin and Kraus Livy 2009
Harrison, S. Oxford readings in Vergil's Aeneid 1990
D’Alessandre Behr, F. Feeling history: Lucan, stoicism, and the poetics of passion 2007
Sklenář, R. The taste for nothingness 2003
Davie, J. Dialogues and essays / Seneca 2007
Inwood, B. Reading Seneca: Stoic philosophy at Rome 2005
Bartsch and Wray Seneca and the self 2009
Harrison, S. Apuleius: a Latin sophist 2000
Kenney The golden ass, or, Metamorphoses / Apuleius 1998
Woodman, A. The Cambridge companion to Tacitus 2009
Woodman, A. The annals / Tacitus; translated, with introduction 2004
Mele Free will and luck 2006
Articles
Plautus:
Riess, E. Notes on Plautus - The Classical Quarterly, 1941;
Carter, JB “The Cognomina of the Goddess Fortuna.” Transactions and Proceedings of the American 1900;
Willcock, M. Plautus CR, 1937;
Williams, G. “Some problems in the construction of Plautus' Pseudolus Hermes 1956; saved
THE GODDESS FORTUNA IN IMPERIAL ROME: CULT, ART, TEXT Arya;
Kuiper, W. “Fides et Fortuna (Ad plauti aululariae versum 102)”
Mnemosyne, 1941; saved
Canter H.V. “Fortuna in Latin Poetry,” Studies in Philology, 1992 saved
Hardin, R.F. “Menaechmi and the Renaissance of Comedy, Comparative Drama, 2003
Apuleius
AJPh 2003; saved but almost irrelevant
Cicero Baldson CR 1952; a new title of F? CR 1928;
Sallust Hock (pdf); Sallust and Fortuna DJ Stewart - History and Theory, 1968; Salluste et la Fortuna E Tiffou - The Phoenix, 1977; Erzählformen bei Sallust HA Gärtner - Historia: Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte, 1986;
Lucan Fatum and Fortuna in Lucan's Bellum Civile BF Dick - Classical Philology, 1967; Lucan and moral luck A LONG - The Classical Quarterly, 2007; “A perfect storm?” LV Pitcher - The Classical Quarterly, 2008; Cato, Caesar und Fortuna bei Lucan WH Friedrich - Hermes, 1938;
Livy Fortuna and Rhetorical Structure in Livy FM Lazarus - Classical Journal, 1978
Plutarch Plutarch's de Fortuna Romanorum SCR Swain - The Classical Quarterly, 1989
Ovid On the Meaning of Fors Fortuna: A Hint from Terence FM Lazarus - American Journal of Philology, 1985; Atrox Fortuna M Kretschmer. Classical Journal, 1927;
Petronius On Petronius' Bellum Civile G Luck - American Journal of Philology, 1972;
Seneca A cult without God or the unfreedom of freedom in Seneca Tragicus E Lefèvre - CJ, 1981
Tacitus
Terence On the Meaning of Fors Fortuna: A Hint from Terence FM Lazarus - American Journal of Philology, 1985
Virgil Feeney the gods in epic