Module CLAS3561: Ancient Literary Criticism and Hellenistic Aesthetics

Department: Classics and Ancient History

CLAS3561: Ancient Literary Criticism and Hellenistic Aesthetics

Prerequisites

• CLAS2151 Traditions of Epic, or equivalent

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce students to the central texts, ideas, and lines of argument of ancient Greek literary criticism. In the context of courses offered in the Classics Department, specifically, it aims to improve students' understanding of the ancient world by providing a framework of ancient critical reflection in terms of which they can contexualise their appreciation of Greek and Roman literature as acquired in the first (and second) year of their Degree Course. Students who successfully complete the course will be familiar with the central texts of ancient Greek literary criticism, and be capable of tracing the ideas and lines of argument of which they are evidence; they will also be able to demonstrate critical thinking about the strengths and limitations of ancient writers' views of literary composition and aesthetic merit.

Content

• The module will introduce students to the origins of literary criticism, a discourse which employs a critical language that measures poetry by formal criteria and grants to artistic products an autonomous aesthetic value. The origins of literary theory and criticism reach as far back as fifth-century Athens and have not only influenced the ancient, but also form the core of the Western criticism of art. We shall investigate the roots of literary theory and its influence on poetic production by concentrating both on literary theory and practice, as the module shall also introduce students to implicit literary criticism or the poets' views about poetry. We shall begin with Plato's attitude toward poetry in the Ion and Republic 376e-398b and 595-608b and Aristotle's Poetics, focusing on their views on the role, nature, and value of poetry and on the reception of their views in the Western culture. We shall then pay special attention to Hellenistic aesthetics and literary criticism. The poets of this period are posing fundamental questions of aesthetics - what is art, how should it be judged, what should it be like, what is its value? They engage with these questions in an implicit way, by producing poetry which discusses and judges other poetry. We shall engage in exploring the way the Hellenistic poets reveal their standards for art - what genres, topics and style do they advocate? How do they engage in literary criticism? And how does this discussion influence their own poetry and aesthetics? These poets are especially interesting, since they engage with and in many ways rebuke "classical" literary criticism and the views on poetry expressed by Plato and Aristotle. Finally, we shall analyse Longinus' view of poetry in On the Sublime.
• The lectures will concentrate on the following texts (all to be read in translation) :
• Plato's Ion and Republic 376e-398b and 595-608b
• Aristotle's Poetics
• Callimachus' Aetia, Hymns and Iambi
• Apollonius' Argonautica
• Theocritus' Bucolic poetry and Idylls
• Posidippus' epigrams
• Herodas' Mimiambi.
• Longinus' On the Sublime

Learning Outcomes

• A detailed knowledge of key texts on Greek literary criticsm; of the main approaches to and interpretations of it both in general and in particular with reference to the set texts, and of the literary, socio-historical, political and methodological issues raised by the set texts and the history of their reception.

• An ability to handle a group of diverse and complex texts in such a way as to reach a coherent picture of the main characteristics of Greek literary criticsm and to appreciate its importance in influencing Western literary criticism; and an ability to combine literary and cultural analysis of the texts in question, whether separately or as a group.

• An ability to comprehend and evaluate alien cultural starting-points; an ability to handle a wide range of written materials at a sophisticated level; a capacity to construct a clear and well-structured argument in written form, displaying some awareness of different approaches; the skills to analyse, evaluate and synthesise a wide range of evidence and to select and apply the appropriate methodologies; oral presentation skills; the ability to articulate nuanced and independent interpretations of the texts studied.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures will provide context and a theoretical framework for the primary works studied and will demonstrate techniques of close reading. This provision will be enhanced by required readings in the secondary literature keyed to each lecture. Students will gain practice at close reading in the seminars.
• Formative and summative essays will give students the opportunity to put their knowledge of particular writers and genres into a broader context and to synthesise the knowledge gained from different parts of the module.
• Students will gain practice at drawing together their knowledge of Greek literary criticism in formative essays.
• The summative essay will assess students' familiarity with the texts and period studied, their ability to draw material together and make connections between it, and the sophistication of their analyses.
• The commentary will assess students' ability to analyse texts in detail, practising the techniques of close reading refined in seminars.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One formative essay. No collections

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University