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Curricular information is subject to change
On completion of this module students should be able to:
• synthesize information about the moral, social, and religious beliefs expressed in the texts;
• analyse the main themes and central characters of the texts;
• evaluate modern interpretations of the texts;
• evaluate the contribution of Homer and Virgil to Western literature.
Lecture List
1. Introduction to Homer
2. Homer and the invention of the alphabet
3. The structure of the Iliad
4. The epic hero in the Iliad
5. The gods in the Iliad
6. The structure of the Odyssey. Storytelling
7. The epic hero in the Odyssey: Odysseus
8. Hospitality in the Odyssey; Polyphemus
9. Women in the Odyssey; Penelope
10. Virgil and Homer: the plan of the Aeneid
11. Aeneid 1: Aeneas at Carthage
12. Aeneid 2-3: the fall of Troy
13. Aeneid 4: Aeneas and Dido
14. Aeneid 6: Aeneas in the Underworld
15. Aeneid 7: the war in Italy
16. Aeneid 8: the Roman future
17. Aeneid 8-9: Ascanius and the new generation
18. Aeneid 12: an optimistic or pessimistic conclusion?
Tutorials
There will be five tutorials in small groups, in which students can express their own views and ask questions. The tutorials will be in alternate weeks, starting in Week 2 or Week 3. There will typically be an introductory tutorial, followed by two tutorials on Homer and two on Virgil.
Prescribed texts
Homer, The Iliad (trans. M. Hammond, Penguin Classics)
Homer, The Odyssey (trans. E.V. Rieu, revised by D.C.H. Rieu, Penguin Classics)
Virgil, The Aeneid (trans. D. West, Penguin Classics)
There are many other translations of Homer and Virgil, which you may use if you wish, e.g. by Barry Powell available as ebooks through UCD Library, or by Tony Kline available for free download through http://www.poetryintranslation.com.
Indicative secondary reading
J. Griffin, Homer (Oxford, 1980)
–––––– , Homer: The Odyssey (Cambridge, 1987; 2nd ed., 2004)
M.S. Silk, Homer: The Iliad (Cambridge, 1987; 2nd ed., 2004)
B. Graziosi, Homer: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2019)
J.S. Burgess, Homer (London, 2015)
W. Allan, Homer: The Iliad (London, 2013)
A. Kahane, Homer: A Guide for the Perplexed (London, 2012)
S.L. Schein, The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer’s Iliad (Berkeley, 1984)
B.B. Powell, Homer (Oxford, 2004)
D.L. Cairns (ed.), Oxford Readings in Homer’s Iliad (Oxford, 2001)
M.W. Edwards, Homer: Poet of the Iliad (Baltimore & London, 1987)
M.I. Finley, The World of Odysseus (Harmondsworth, 1954)
R.L. Fowler (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Homer (Cambridge, 2004)
R. Alden Smith, Virgil (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011)
J. Farrell & M.C.J.Putnam, A Companion to Vergil’s Aeneid and its Tradition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010)
K.W. Grandsen, Virgil, the Aeneid, 2nd ed. by S.J. Harrison (Cambridge 2004)
P.R. Hardie Virgil. Greece & Rome New Surveys in the Classics No. 28 (Oxford, 1998)
C.A. Martindale (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Virgil (Cambridge, 1997)
C.G. Perkell (ed.) Reading Virgil's Aeneid: An Interpretive Guide (Oklahoma, 1999)
D.O.Ross Virgil’s Aeneid: A Reader’s Guide (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007)
Student Effort Type | Hours |
---|---|
Lectures | 18 |
Tutorial | 5 |
Specified Learning Activities | 40 |
Autonomous Student Learning | 37 |
Total | 100 |
Not applicable to this module.
Description | Timing | Component Scale | % of Final Grade | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assignment: 1,000-word commentary | Week 7 | n/a | Graded | No | 30 |
Assignment: Learning journal | Coursework (End of Trimester) | n/a | Graded | No | 30 |
Essay: 1,500-word essay | Coursework (End of Trimester) | n/a | Graded | No | 40 |
Resit In | Terminal Exam |
---|---|
Autumn | No |
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
Feedback on assignments will be sent to the students through Brightspace. Students may also request further feedback from their tutor or the module co-ordinator.
Name | Role |
---|---|
Dr Martin Brady | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |