GRC40190 The Epic Tradition

Academic Year 2023/2024

The immense undertaking that was Virgil's Aeneid provided a mythical and historical perspective on the equally immense undertaking that was Augustus' refashioning of Rome, and established epic as the benchmark genre for later eras to offer mythological perspectives on contemporary events. In this module we shall examine a range of classical and post-classical epics, in order to ascertain how they engage with the Virgilian archetype and how they adapt these classical motifs to their own political, social or religious ends. From the ancient world, we will read Lucan's Civil War and Statius' Thebaid in order to see how motifs of civil strife undermine the conciliation and closure of the Civil War years that the Aeneid is working towards. We will also work with a selection of post-classical epics, dependent on the interests of the class. Dante's Inferno will show us how the genre adapts itself to a Christian world-view. Camoes' Lusiads will demonstrate how the Age of Exploration allows epic to broaden its totalising scope to encompass the whole world. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings will show us how an epic myth can be fashioned in a self-consciously constructed fictional post-Classical world. Derek Walcott's Omeros will show us how in the contemporary world epic serves to bridge the gap between Western literature and the culture of the colonial world.

Students interested in this course would find the following books a useful introduction to the material we will cover:
Hardie, P.R. The epic successors of Virgil: a study in the dynamics of a tradition. Cambridge 1993.
Quint, D. Epic and Empire: politics and generic form from Virgil to Milton. Princeton 1994.
Sklenar, R. The Taste for Nothingness: a study of Virtus and related themes in Lucan's Bellum Civile. Ann Arbor 2003.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the content of the course texts, and the significant recurring themes of epic literature.
- Read the selected texts closely for evidence of political, social and religious themes.
- Analyse the development of key political, social and religious themes from author to author.
- Evaluate the importance of the values articulated in epic poetry to ancient, medieval and contemporary world views.

Indicative Module Content:

The topics we cover in seminars are likely to be the following:

1. Introduction. General discussion: The epic genre. General discussion: The key themes of the Aeneid.
2. Epic proems
3. Lucan (I) Julius Caesar: hero and villain
4. Lucan (II) Cato: Stoic epic
5. Statius (I) Civil war: epic or anti-epic?
6. Statius (II) Gods and mortals
7. Dante (I) Virgil as poet and as character
8. Dante (II) The spiritual journey as epic journey
9. Camoes (I) Nationalist epic and ‘manifest destiny’
10. Camoes (II) Ancient myth and contemporary history
11. Walcott Colonialism and epic

We may adjust this list based on class interests and proposed seminar paper topics.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Specified Learning Activities

66
Autonomous Student Learning

112
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Face-to-face classes will last 2 hours, and involve students delivering seminar papers followed by discussion of topics raised. For the rest of the semester, students will discuss topics 1-on-1 with the instructor in pre-scheduled Zoom sessions. Topics will be based on articles and discussion documents circulated by the instructor. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: 3000 word commentary Week 5 n/a Graded No

25
Essay: 5000 word essay Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

50
Presentation: Presentation on a topic related to the student's final paper. Presentations will be delivered at a date to be negotiated between module co-ordinator and student. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

25

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be offered formally on a mid semester commentary assignment and on the end of semester paper. In addition, both instructor and class will offer verbal feedback on and discussion of seminar papers in class discussions. There will be the opportunity to submit one draft of an end of semester paper for indicative feedback on structure and ideas, but not on specifics.

Virgil The Aeneid, tr. David West. Penguin 2003.
Lucan Civil War, tr. Matthew Fox. Penguin 2012.
Statius The Thebaid: Seven Against Thebes, tr. with an introduction by Charles Stanley Ross. Johns Hopkins 2004.
Dante Inferno, tr. R.Kirkpatrick. Penguin 2006; or tr. Dorothy L. Sayers, Penguin 1949 (the latter text is reproduced below for Assignment 1).
Camoes Lusiads, tr.W.Atkinson. Penguin 2007.
Walcott Omeros. Faber & Faber 2002.
Name Role
Professor Michael Lloyd Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 15:00 - 16:50