LNW 6933: Roman Poets (Propertian Elegy) Dr.
Tim Johnson; Dauer Hall 143
Office
Hours: Friday
Course Objectives:
To
read Propertius’ elegies and to explore the basic interpretative questions that
the text presents. When the student completes the course, it should be possible
for s/he to frame an intelligent and thoughtful answer to the question, 'What
is Propertian elegy?'.
Course Approach:
Criticism is not polemic. One
does not lean over the text and beat meaning out of it with one critical
approach and then another. The purpose
of criticism is not to reduce the text to its lowest value and so strip it of
any significant meaning. Instead, as
Martin Buber argues, the text should be embraced as a living element with
transforming powers. Sense comes when the world of the text contacts our own
and together produce an idea. Critical approaches do offer different vantage
points for understanding and appreciating the multiple senses of the text, but
they are tools and not art. Further there is no clear division between textual
and literary criticism: nothing replaces a close reading of the text,
and all methods/approaches support a rich dialogue between the text and the
reader. To learn to think outside the
boxes, you must know what the boxes are.
Propertius is recognized as
the quintessential Roman elegist, at least Roman elegy as it has been
transmitted to us through the surviving authors. Although meter is a primary
characteristic in identifying a genre, meter alone does not define genre. Elegy
also includes matters of theme and tone. Propertius explodes the elegiac spirit
into every song he writes, constantly promoting the individual voice and
experience that is the essence of elegy. If Propertius can be said to
accentuate the personal voice so that it becomes privatized, then this emphasis
on the individual and independence violates the heart of Augustus' tota
Italia and its insistence on society as community, which is reflected in
the lyrics of Horace and Vergil's Aeneid. I would suggest that the
Propertian power in individual expression which envalues the person within
community and without regard to basic distinctions, such as age, gender, and
social status, is the "modern flavor" in his poetry that has begun to
bring to him a new-found popularity.
Activities: We will meet three hours a week, but not every week
will be the same. We will rotate between one week with three hours of reading
and the next week with (1) a one and a half hour reading session and (2) a one
and a half hour research workshop.
Primary
Texts: The best single reading commentaries on Propertius
are unfortunately out of print and not easily obtained. We will have to resort
to putting together reading commentaries on the individual books.
Required:
Title: Sexti Properti Carmina
(This text is in the Oxford Classical Text
Series and will be our primary text.)
Author: Propertius
Editor: E. A. Barber
Publisher:
Year: 1990
ISBN: 0-19-814630-2
Title: Propertius: Elegies
I
Author: Propertius
Editors: Hodge and Buttimore
Publisher: Duckworth
Year: 2002
ISBN: 1853996513
Title: Propertius:
Elegies, Book I
Author: Propertius
Editor: W. A. Camps
Publisher:
Year: 1977
ISBN: 0521292107
Title: Propertius:
Elegies, Book IV
Author: Propertius
Editor: W. A. Camps
Publisher: Ayer
Year: 1965
ISBN: 0405115970
Optional:
Title: Propertius:
Elegies, Book II (This has just been listed out of print, but may still be
available from we sources)
Author: Propertius
Editor: W. A. Camps
Publisher: Duckworth
Year: 1985
ISBN: 0862921481
Title: Propertius:
Elegies, Book III
Author: Propertius
Editor: W. A. Camps
Publisher: Duckworth
Year: 1985
ISBN: 0862921163
Title: Studies in Greek
Elegy and Iambus
Author: M. L. West
Publisher: De Gruyter
Year: 1974
ISBN: 3-11-004585-0
Secondary
Barber,
E.A. (ed.) (1960) Propertius: Carmina (
Butrica,
J.L. (1984) The Manuscript Tradition of Propertius (
Classes,
C.J. (2002) “Propertius The Historian,” in Levene, D.S. and Nelis, D.P. (edd.) Clio
and the Poets (
Debrohun,
J.B. (2003) Roman Propertius and the Reinvention of Elegy (
Fredrick,
“Reading Broken Skin: Violence in Roman Elegy,” reprinted in Miller (2002) Latin
Erotic Elegy (Routledge).
Greene,
Ellen (1998) The Erotics of Domination: Male Desire and the Mistress in
Latin Love Elegy (
Harrauer,
Hermann (1973) A Bibliography to Propertius (
Hubbard,
M. (1974) Propertius (
Janan,
M.W. (2001) The Politics of Desire (
Kennedy,
Lefèvre,
E. (1966) Propertius ludibundus (
Luck,
Georg (1959) The Latin Love Elegy (
McKeown,
J.C. (1979) “Augustan Elegy and Mime,” PCPhS 25: 71-84.
. (1987) Ovid:
Amores, Volume 1 (
Newman,
J.K. (1997) Augustan Propertius: The Recapitulation of a Genre (
Richardson,
L. Jr. (ed.) (1977) Elegies I-IV, Propertius Edited with Introduction and
Commentary (
Sullivan,
J.P. (1976) Propertius: A Critical Introduction (
. “The Politics of Elegy,” reprinted in Miller (2002) Latin
Erotic Elegy (Routledge).
Stahl,
Hans-Peter (1985) Propertius: “Love” and “War”: Individual and State under
Augustus (
Veyne,
P. “The Pastoral in City Clothes,” reprinted in Miller (2002) Latin Erotic
Elegy (Routledge).
Warden,
J. (1980) Fallax Opus: Poet and Reader in the Elegies of Propertius (
West,
M.L. (1974) Studies in Greek Elegy and Iambus (De Gruyter).
Wyke,
M. “Mistress and Metaphor in Augustan Elegy,” reprinted in Miller (2002) Latin
Erotic Elegy (Routledge).
Workshop Reports: At least two
weeks before each workshop, there will be a research question proposed. This
question will frame our discussion for the workshop. Each student is to come
with a prepared presentation (or outline) that will facilitate the discussion.
The main point here is to be thorough in your research and preparation rather
than necessarily original. Your presentation should be roughly about 5 pages
long and contain the following. (1). A statement of the question as you
understand it (this can be a suggested correction to the question). (2) An
overview and introduction to the major bibliography on the question. (3)
Detailed talking points on the prominent issues the question raises. These
talking points should contain exact references to texts both primary and
secondary and not be just a hodge-podge of disconnected ideas. Your talking
points should add up to some form of argument. The basic form then for your
workshop preparation is to be thesis, bibliography, argument, and conclusion. Two
days before the workshop you should send your work in electronic form to all
the other members of the seminar. I should be given a permanent hard-copy in
addition to the electronic copy.
Paper (10-15 pp.): Your topic will
more than likely be defined by your participation in the workshops. All topics
must be approved before the midterm. One question on your midterm will be to
state the thesis for your paper. I am not impressed by length nearly as much as
precision of the argument.
Grading:
35% Class Preparation and
30% Exams (Midterm and Final)
20% Workshop Reports
15% Paper
*Remember daily work
(attendance and preparation) is still the most important requirement. If you
attend class, but are unprepared to translate the passage or to even make a
reasonable attempt, then you have effectively failed the assignment.
Schedule for
Week 1 (Jan. 14):
Week 2 (Jan. 21):
Question 1: Roman society and literature: where does Propertius
fit? We should of course begin by detailing thoroughly the basic bibliographic
information (life situation, works, friends, etc.), but a poet is not always
confined by time/space limitations. The question must begin to address
Propertius’ presentation of the role of the poet in society. What did
Propertius think of the poet? Also what other authors evaluate Propertius and
what do they say?
Week 3 (Jan. 28):
Week 4 (Feb. 4):
Question 2: Propertian
strategies and characteristics -- How are Propertius’ style and techniques best
described?
Week 5 (Feb. 11):
Week 6 (Feb. 18):
Question 3: What is elegy;
where does it come from; and where does Propertius take it?
Week 7 (Feb. 25) : Midterm
(Mar. 4):Spring Break
Week 8 (Mar. 11):
Question 4: Evaluate the
manuscript tradition for Propertius. Develop an overview of the editions and
primary commentaries. What are the primary problems that the text of Propertius
present to its readers.
Week 9 (Mar. 18):
Week 10 (Mar. 25):
Question 5:
Group 1
Week 11 (April 1):
Week 12 (April 8): Free to Work on Papers
Week 13 (April 15):
Question 6:
Group 2
Final Exam and Paper: Due
by April 22