This course provides a study of Ovid, one of the key writers of Latin poetry. We will read a selection of Classical Latin poetry by Ovid, drawn from works such as the Heroides, Amores, Ars Amatoria, Fasti and Metamorphoses. By studying poetry from a range of Ovidian sources, you will build up a detailed picture of where Ovid fits within the wider world of Latin literature. We will supplement the poetry with selections of Latin prose about Ovid, by authors such as Seneca, Quintilian, and later commentators, to see how perceptions and criticism of his work has changed.
Throughout the course, you will :• Read authentic Latin: a selection of poetry written by the Augustan-age poet Ovid, along with some prose about the poet. • Develop knowledge of how Ovid’s works related to pre-established literary genres of epistles, elegy, and epic, as well as how he made significant innovations across those genres. • Develop an understanding of Ovid’s unique style, including his use of vocabulary, rhetorical and poetic devices, intertextuality, and exploration of particular themes. • Explore controversies about Ovid’s place in Roman political life, including his exile. • Place Ovid in his socio-cultural and -historical context. • Develop your skills at passage analysis/textual commentary. • Practice Latin scansion of hexameter and pentameter. • Work collaboratively in class. • Develop oral and written communication skills.