Lucian

Catalog description

The funniest and most impressive writer of Greek prose during the imperial period (not to mention the alleged inventor of science fiction), it is no wonder that Lucian was a favorite author from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. But he was also regularly reviled -- Martin Luther once thundered at Erasmus, “you ooze Lucian from every pore” (it wasn’t a compliment). This class will focus on his philosophical satires and contextualize those satires within the philosophies of the second century CE. Along with primary and secondary readings – not only from Lucian but also authors like Galen and Sextus Empiricus – we will discuss the texts, the times, and the nature of Lucian’s philosophical skepticism.