Ancient Epic Poetry

Catalog description

This undergraduate seminar focuses on ancient epic poetry, read in translation. We will read all of at least one ancient epic and sections from several others, including the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid, Gilgamesh, and the Ramayana. We will discuss the role of epic poetry in ancient societies, the differences and similarities between these various epics from different cultures, and the relationship of epic poems to other forms of memory-making, such as historiography. We'll talk about central themes of epic, including heroism, memory, journeys and homecomings, mortality, rage and grief, and the relationship of humans to gods. Students will read short selections from contemporary scholarship on the texts, and will write a research paper.