Preliminary Syllabus Seneca the Stoic

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Preliminary Syllabus Seneca the Stoic Preliminary Syllabus Seneca the Stoic: Philosopher, Playwright, Politician CLA 65 Barbara Clayton Course Goals: Our goal is to approach the Stoicism of Seneca through a sampling of a wide variety of his writings. Seneca was a master craftsman, so we will be reading his works through a double lens, one that is both philosophical and literary. Our focus will not just be on the tenets of Stoicism, but also on the strikingly different ways in which Seneca expresses these tenets. The well known scholar of Latin literature, Gian Biagio Conte, summarized Seneca’s “dramatic style” in this way: “This pointed and penetrating style . is employed by Seneca as a probe with which to explore the secrets of the human soul and the contradictions that torment it and also as a device through which to speak to the heart of men and exhort them to the good.” Grade Options and Requirements: 1. No Grade Requested (NGR) This is the default option. No work or mandatory attendance is required. Students who have selected another option can change to NGR at any time until the last class session. 2. Credit/No Credit (CR/NCR) Students must attend at least 5 of the 7 classes and submit a short (one paragraph) weekly response to one or more of the readings for that week. This response is meant to be your personal reaction and can consist of questions as well as comments prompted by the reading. 3. Letter grade Students must attend at least 6 of the 7 classes, submit weekly reader responses (as above), and submit a final written work of 5-6 pages. There are many options for this final paper: Students can develop one of their weekly reader responses into a longer personal response to one of the texts; write a traditional interpretive essay on any of the texts we have read; summarize and critique a work of Seneca not covered in our readings; watch a Senecan tragedy and report on it. I am always open to other suggestions, provided the student get clearance from me beforehand. Preliminary Syllabus Tentative Weekly Outline: Week 1: Introductory material: Seneca’s life including and especially his relationship with the Emperor Nero; a brief history of Stoicism and its basic principles. Week 2: The genre of the consolatio (consolation): Consolation to Marcia (for the loss of her son) and Consolation to Helvia (Seneca’s mother, to reassure her of his well-being while in exile, imposed by Claudius). Week 3: From the Dialogues, readings will include: On Providence and On the Happy Life Week 4: From the Dialogues, continued. Readings will include: On the Shortness of Life and On Mercy Week 5: The Stoic turns inward: readings from Seneca’s letters to Lucilius Week 6: Seneca’s tragedies: Medea and Oedipus Week 7: Stoicism and science: “On Earthquakes” from Natural Questions Stoicism and satire: Apocolocyntosis (“The Pumpkinification [of the Emperor Claudius]”) .
Recommended publications
  • Seneca: Apocolocyntosis Free
    FREE SENECA: APOCOLOCYNTOSIS PDF Lucius Annaeus Seneca,P.T. Eden,P. E. Easterling,Philip Hardie,Richard Hunter,E. J. Kenney | 192 pages | 27 Apr 1984 | CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS | 9780521288361 | English | Cambridge, United Kingdom SENECA THE YOUNGER, Apocolocyntosis | Loeb Classical Library Rome,there have been published many other editions and also many translations. The following are specially noteworthy:. The English translation with accompanying largely plain text by W. Graves appended a translation to his Claudius the GodLondon The Satire of Seneca on the Apotheosis of Claudius. Ball, New York,has introduction, notes, and translation. Weinreich, Berlin, with German translation. Bibliographical surveys : M. Coffey, Seneca: Apocolocyntosis, Apocol. More Contact Us How to Subscribe. Search Publications Pages Publications Seneca: Apocolocyntosis. Advanced Search Help. Go To Section. Find in a Library View cloth edition. Print Email. Hide annotations Display: View facing pages View left- hand pages View right-hand pages Enter full screen mode. Eine Satire des Annaeus SenecaF. Buecheler, Symbola Philologorum Bonnensium. Leipzig, —Seneca: Apocolocyntosis. Petronii Saturae et liber Priapeorumed. Heraeus, ; and edition 6, revision and augmentation by W. Heraeus, Annaei Senecae Divi Claudii Apotheosis. Seneca: Apocolocyntosis, Bonn, Waltz, text and French translation and notes. Seneca, Apokolokyntosis Inzuccatura del divo Claudio. Text and Italian translation A. Rostagni, Seneca: Apocolocyntosis, Senecae Apokolokyntosis. Text, critical notes, and Italian translation. A Ronconi, Milan, Filologia Latina. Introduction, Seneca: Apocolocyntosis, and critical notes, Italian translation, and copious commentary, bibliography, and appendix. This work contains much information. A new text by P. Eden is expected. Sedgwick advises for various allusions to read also some account of Claudius. That advice indeed is good.
    [Show full text]
  • The Imperial Cult and the Individual
    THE IMPERIAL CULT AND THE INDIVIDUAL: THE NEGOTIATION OF AUGUSTUS' PRIVATE WORSHIP DURING HIS LIFETIME AT ROME _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by CLAIRE McGRAW Dr. Dennis Trout, Dissertation Supervisor MAY 2019 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled THE IMPERIAL CULT AND THE INDIVIDUAL: THE NEGOTIATION OF AUGUSTUS' PRIVATE WORSHIP DURING HIS LIFETIME AT ROME presented by Claire McGraw, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. _______________________________________________ Professor Dennis Trout _______________________________________________ Professor Anatole Mori _______________________________________________ Professor Raymond Marks _______________________________________________ Professor Marcello Mogetta _______________________________________________ Professor Sean Gurd DEDICATION There are many people who deserve to be mentioned here, and I hope I have not forgotten anyone. I must begin with my family, Tom, Michael, Lisa, and Mom. Their love and support throughout this entire process have meant so much to me. I dedicate this project to my Mom especially; I must acknowledge that nearly every good thing I know and good decision I’ve made is because of her. She has (literally and figuratively) pushed me to achieve this dream. Mom has been my rock, my wall to lean upon, every single day. I love you, Mom. Tom, Michael, and Lisa have been the best siblings and sister-in-law. Tom thinks what I do is cool, and that means the world to a little sister.
    [Show full text]
  • Apocolocyntosis De Providentia
    Sêneca Apocolocyntosis De Providentia Belo Horizonte FALE/UFMG 2010 Diretor da Faculdade de Letras Sumário Luiz Francisco Dias Vice-Diretor Introdução . 5 Sandra Bianchet Heloísa Maria Moraes Moreira Penna Comissão editorial Apocolocyntosis Divi Clavdii / Apocoloquintose . 8 Eliana Lourenço de Lima Reis De Providentia / Da Providência . 35 Elisa Amorim Vieira Lucia Castello Branco Maria Cândida Trindade Costa de Seabra Maria Inês de Almeida Sônia Queiroz Capa e projeto gráfico Glória Campos Mangá – Ilustração e Design Gráfico Revisão e normalização Eduardo de Lima Soares Taís Moreira Oliveira Formatação Eduardo de Lima Soares Janaína Sabino Revisão de provas Martha M. Rezende Ramon de Araújo Gomes Endereço para correspondência FALE/UFMG – Setor de Publicações Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 – sala 2015A 31270-901 – Belo Horizonte/MG Telefax: (31) 3409-6007 e-mail: [email protected] Introdução Na literatura latina, há diversos escritores que muito produziram e influenciaram as gerações posteriores com inúmeras e densas obras. Impressionam até hoje a prosa moral de Cícero, a irreverência lírica de Catulo, a grandiosidade épica de Virgílio, o rigor formal de Horácio, a ousadia contemporânea de Ovídio e a potência filosófica e trágica de Sêneca, só para citar alguns dos grandes nomes dessa literatura abrangente. É desse último autor de textos filosóficos, dramáticos e satíricos que vamos tratar na presente publicação. Lúcio Aneu Sêneca é um dos escritores mais lidos e comentados da literatura latina. Seus textos têm conteúdo atemporal por tratarem da alma humana, dos problemas que a afligem em qualquer época, e por servirem de conselheiros aos espíritos atormentados pelas questões existenciais. É fato que nascera numa época privilegiada e que tirara disso grande proveito: após a chamada Idade de Ouro da literatura latina, em que figuraram poetas de obras imortais, tais como Virgílio, Horácio, Propércio, Tibulo e Ovídio.
    [Show full text]
  • Magis Rythmus Quam Metron: the Structure of Seneca's Anapaests
    Magis rythmus quam metron: the structure of Seneca’s anapaests, and the oral/aural nature of Latin poetry Lieven Danckaert To cite this version: Lieven Danckaert. Magis rythmus quam metron: the structure of Seneca’s anapaests, and the oral/aural nature of Latin poetry. Symbolae Osloenses, Taylor & Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles, 2013, 87 (1), pp.148-217. 10.1080/00397679.2013.842310. halshs-01527668 HAL Id: halshs-01527668 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01527668 Submitted on 24 May 2017 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Magis rythmus quam metron : the structure of Seneca's anapaests, and the oral/aural nature of Latin poetry 1 Lieven Danckaert, Ghent University Abstract The aim of this contribution is twofold. The empirical focus is the metrical structure of Seneca's anapaestic odes. On the basis of a detailed formal analysis, in which special attention is paid to the delimitation and internal structure of metrical periods, I argue against the dimeter colometry traditionally assumed. This conclusion in turn is based on a second, more methodological claim, namely that in establishing the colometry of an ancient piece of poetry, the modern metrician is only allowed to set apart a given string of metrical elements as a separate metron, colon or period, if this postulated metrical entity could 'aurally' be distinguished as such by the hearer.
    [Show full text]
  • Seneca's Apocolocyntosis and Petronius' Satyricon
    Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis and Petronius’ Satyricon MICHAEL PASCHALIS University of Crete Introduction In chapter 5 of Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis it is announced to Jupiter that a weird character has arrived in heaven, who is shaking his head all the time and dragging his right leg and when asked about his nationality, replies in a confused, unintelligible language that is neither Greek nor Latin, nor of any known race. Jupiter orders Hercules, who was widely traveled and was thus expected to know all nations of the world, to go and find out who this cha- racter is. Hercules is shocked at the shape of this unusual fellow, his limping gait and his hoarse, inarticulate voice, reminiscent of a sea animal.1 He be- gins to think that his thirteenth labor has arrived when on closer inspection he realizes that the beast may be some kind of human being. Being a ‘Greekling’ (Graeculus), Hercules addresses him with a Homer- ic verse: ‘Who are you and from where? What are your city and parents?’ In Odyssey 1,170 this line2 is addressed by Telemachus to a female goddess (Athene) disguised as a male (Mentes); here it is appropriately adapted to render the ambiguity of race and species surrounding this character. Her- cules’ question provokes the following reaction from the newly arrived, who is none other than the deceased emperor Claudius: ‘Claudius rejoiced that there were philologi up there; he began to hope that there would be some place for his historical works’ (Eden’s translation). So he, too, used a verse of Homer (Odyssey 9,39) to indicate that he was a Caesar and said: ‘The wind, bearing me from Ilion, brought me to the Cicones’.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pseudo-Senecan Seneca on the Good Old Days: the Motif of the Golden Age in the Octavia
    The Pseudo-Senecan Seneca on the Good Old Days: The Motif of the Golden Age in the Octavia Oliver Schwazer I. Introduction In his fabula praetexta entitled Octavia, the playwright stages the historical events that occurred during the reign of the last Julio-Claudian emperor in 62 CE.1 Following the divorce from his wife Octavia and re-marriage to another woman, Poppaea Sabina, the emperor gives the order for the former to be exiled. Neither a thorough dispute with his advisor Seneca2 nor the interventions of the pro-Octavia Chorus of Romans can deter Nero from his decision to put down the riots amongst the populace by using the sentence of Octavia as a warning.3 For a number of reasons, the Octavia has always been one of the most intriguing and in many ways most controversial pieces of Latin literature. While the fact that this play has been almost fully preserved can be regarded as extremely gratifying, not least because it stands in contrast to the number of praetextae known to us from no more than a few fragments, or even just one, it is particularly its textual transmission that has overshadowed scholarly dispute. Due to its sharp opposition to the eight mythological plays — excluding the Hercules Oetaeus of doubtful authorship — doubts have been raised about the assumption that the Octavia has been transmitted in manuscripts along with the tragedies now unanimously assigned to Seneca the Younger. To many researchers it seems inconceivable that the earlier advisor and later adversary of Nero would choose to appear as a dramatis persona on stage, particularly in a play where the contemporary emperor was presented in such a disreputable light.
    [Show full text]
  • Tratados Morales Lucio Anneo Séneca 2
    BIBLIOTECA VIRTUAL KATHARSIS TTrraattaaddooss mmoorraalleess Lucio Anneo Séneca (-4ª. C. - 65) Edición digital de Justo S. Alarcón [email protected] [email protected] Digitalizado por Katharsis http:// www.revistakatharsis.org/ Rosario R. Fernández [email protected] Biblioteca Virtual Katharsis Tratados morales Lucio Anneo Séneca 2 SÉNECA, LUCIO ANNEO (4 A.C-65 D.C) [Grabado de Séneca según Rubens] Escritor y filósofo español del siglo I de nuestra era. Hijo de un afamado rétor (conocido como Séneca "el Viejo"), Séneca procedía al igual que su familia de la ciudad de Corduba (Córdoba en la actualidad), donde hubo de nacer entre el año 4 a. C. y el año 1 de nuestra era. Por lo que dice su padre en su curiosa recopilación de Suasoriae y Controversiae , sus hijos (Séneca, L. Anneo Novato y L. Anneo Mela, padre del famoso poeta Lucano) se habían sentido desde muy pronto atraídos por el arte de la declamación practicada por los rétores de la generación anterior, amantes apasionados de las sententiae o pensamientos generales formulados con gran concisión. Fue esta pasión la que llevó a su padre a preparar esa recopilación, que nos permite averiguar cómo pudo formarse el estilo y el gusto literario de nuestro escritor, quien además de amar a estos oradores aprendió a valorar la poesía de Ovidio. Biblioteca Virtual Katharsis Tratados morales Lucio Anneo Séneca 3 Este joven provinciano se marchó a Roma para acompañar a su padre y a su tía y decidió quedarse allí con esta última. Es muy poco lo que se sabe de este período de tiempo; de hecho, no tenemos noticias seguras hasta el año 41, en que Séneca tuvo que marcharse desterrado a Córcega por orden del emperador Claudio, pues se le acusó de haber mantenido relaciones adúlteras con un miembro de la familia imperial, Julia Livilla.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cambridge Companion to Seneca
    BARTSCH, S. / A. SCHIESARO, EDS.: THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO SENECA 1. Seneca: an introduction Shadi Bartsch and Alessandro Schiesaro Part I. The Senecan Corpus: 2. Seneca multiplex: the phases (and phrases) of Seneca's life and works Susanna Braund 3. Senecan tragedy Christopher Trinacty 4. Absent presence in Seneca's Epistles: philosophy and friendship Catharine Edwards 5. The dialogue in Seneca's Dialogues (and other moral essays) Matthew Roller 6. Seneca on monarchy and the political life: De Clementia, De Tranquillitate Animi, De Otio Malcolm Schofield 7. Seneca's scientific works Francesca Romana Berno 8. Seneca's Apocolocyntosis: censors in the afterworld Kirk Freudenburg Part II. Texts and Contexts: 9. Seneca and Augustan culture James Ker 10. Seneca and Neronian Rome: in the mirror of time Victoria Rimell 11. Style and form in Seneca's writings Gareth Williams 12. Seneca's images and metaphors Mireille Armisen-Marchetti 13. Theater and theatricality in Seneca's world Cedric A. J. Littlewood 14. Seneca's emotions David Konstan Part III. Senecan Tensions: 15. Senecan selves Shadi Bartsch 16. Seneca's shame David Wray 17. Theory and practice in Seneca's life and writings Carey Seal 18. Seneca's originality Elizabeth Asmis 19. Seneca and Epicurus: the allure of the other Alessandro Schiesaro Part IV. The Senecan Tradition: 20. Seneca and the ancient world Aldo Setaioli 21. Seneca and Christian tradition Chiara Torre 22. Seneca redivivus: Seneca in the medieval and Renaissance world Roland Mayer 23. Senecan political thought from the Middle Ages to early modernity Peter Stacey 24. Seneca and the Moderns Francesco Citti..
    [Show full text]
  • LNW 3360: Seneca, Apocolocyntosis Fall 2014 Instructor: Dr. Biagio
    LNW 3360: Seneca, Apocolocyntosis Fall 2014 Instructor: Dr. Biagio Santorelli CLASS DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES The class will consist of a close reading of Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis, one of the all-time most brilliant example of political pamphlet. Introductory classes will deal with issues related to the biography of the author and His Historical context as well as the genre of the Satura Menippaea; larger issues as the cultural and literary background of the Julio-Claudian age will be considered as well, with appropriate references to the Historical works of Tacitus and Suetonius. The core of the class, however, will be the direct reading of the text, the study of its linguistic peculiarities and tHe analysis of intertextual relations witH its models. Attendance is mandatory: more tHan one unexcused class absence will result in a deduction from tHe participation portion of the course grade. Students will be expected to translate when called upon, as well as participate in class discussions, raising pertinent and interesting points. In tHis regard, it is necessary to read and translate primary readings prior to come to class; for eacH relevant subject addressed in class, in addiction, I will suggest one or more secondary sources, whose reading is useful to get prepared for the subsequent discussion. This class is intended to: – Gain an understanding of Seneca’s work, on the linguistic, stylistic and literary ground; – Improve students’ translation and analysis skills; – EnHance familiarity witH tHe culture and politics of tHe Claudian age. RECOMMENDED TEXTS 1. M. Heseltin, Petronius – W.H.D. Rouse, Seneca, Apocolocyntosis, Cambridge MA (THe Loeb Classical Library), 1961.
    [Show full text]
  • Seneca'nin De Constantia Sapientis'nde Nsanin Çsel
    T. C. İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Eski Ça ğ Dilleri ve Kültürleri Anabilim Dalı Latin Dili ve Edebiyatı Bilim Dalı Yüksek Lisans Tezi SENECA’NIN DE CONSTANTIA SAPIENTIS’İNDE İNSANIN İÇSEL ÖZGÜRLÜ ĞÜ Elif Burcu ÖZKAN 2501060068 Tez Danı şmanı Prof. Dr. Bedia Demiri ş İstanbul 2008 SENECA’NIN DE CONSTANTIA SAPIENTIS ’İNDE İNSANIN İÇSEL ÖZGÜRLÜ ĞÜ Elif Burcu ÖZKAN ÖZ Bu çalı şmada, De Constantia Sapientis ( Bilgenin Sarsılmazlı ğı) adlı eserinden hareketle Seneca’ya ve Stoa eti ğine göre “içsel özgürlük” ve “sarsılmazlık” kavramları incelenmi ştir. Ki şinin dı ş ko şullardan ba ğımsız olarak ya şamını sürdürebilmesi, erdemlerini koruyabilmesi, mutlulu ğu kendi içinde bulabilmesi, kendi kendine yeterli olabilmesi ve bilgece bir ya şam sürebilmesi için nasıl bir yol izlemesi gerekti ği Seneca’nın ba şta De Constantia Sapientis ’i olmak üzere di ğer bazı felsefî eserlerinden yapılan alıntılardan da yararlanılarak Stoa felsefesi ı şığında ele alınmı ştır. Ayrıca tezde “erdem” ( arete; Lat . virtus ), “dinginlik” ( ataraxia/ euthymia; Lat . tranquillitas ), “duygulanımsızlık” ( apathia; Lat. impassibilitas ) gibi kavramlar üzerinde de durularak içsel özgürlü ğün ki şiye kazandırdıkları anlatılmaya çalı şılmı ştır. iii THE INNER FREEDOM IN SENECA’S DE CONSTANTIA SAPIENTIS Elif Burcu ÖZKAN ABSTRACT In this thesis, Seneca’s notion of “ inner freedom ” and “ apathy” are analyzed by using his De Constantia Sapientis (The Constancy of The Sage) and Stoic ethic. For the ability of one’s living free from external circumstances, protecting virtues, attaining happiness inward, being self- sufficient and living a life wisely, what kind of a way one should follow are handled by using especially Seneca’s De Constantia Sapientis , also quotations from some other his philosophical works in the light of Stoic philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • Blame It on the Barbarians: Ethnic Categorisation and Jingoism in the Cultural Memory of the Sack of Rome C.390BCE
    Blame it on the Barbarians: Ethnic Categorisation and Jingoism in the Cultural Memory of the Sack of Rome c.390BCE Ralph Moore Abstract As with much of the early history of the Roman Republic, the Sack of Rome c.390BCE is known more from legend than verifi- able historical fact and is subject to several varying retellings in later Latin and Greek literature. One of the key variations, how- ever, lies in who, precisely, is responsible for the attack on the city. The majority of accounts place the blame on a largely undifferen- tiated mass of Gauls, recently arrived in the Italian peninsula from beyond the Alps. This conflict gives rise to a centuries-spanning cultural enmity between Rome and the Gallic race in total. How- ever, the unusually detailed first century BCE accounts of Livy and Diodorus both attribute the attack to the Senones, a single group of Gauls already resident in northern Italy for several generations. Since this latter version appears better supported by archaeologi- cal and linguistic evidence, it seems that cultural memories of the Sack gradually became warped, and the guilt of the Senones was transferred to the entire ethnic category in which they were placed. This paper aims to examine how and why this change occurred and its relationship with the rhetoric of jingoism, ethnic prejudice, and demonization in both the ancient and modern worlds. Keywords: Gauls, Senones, Rome, Jingoism, Ethnicity, Cultural Mem- ory, Prejudice. 1 Blame it on the Barbarians One of the odder pieces of Classical Latin literature to survive to the present intact is the Apocolocyntosis of Seneca the Younger.
    [Show full text]
  • Disability and Ability in the Accounts of the Emperor Claudius a Thesis
    Disability and Ability in the Accounts of the Emperor Claudius A thesis submitted To Kent State University in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Amanda Whitacre August, 2018 © Copyright by Amanda Whitacre All rights reserved Thesis written by Amanda Joree Whitacre B.A., Kent State University, 2016 B.A., Kent State University, 2016 M.A., Kent State University, 2018 Approved by Jennifer Larson____, Advisor Keiran Dunne_____, Chair, Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies James L. Blank____, Dean College of the Arts and Sciences Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis ............................................................................................................... 6 Claudius’ Disability in Early Life ............................................................................................. 29 Hiding the Disability ................................................................................................................. 39 Claudius’ Physical Description and Physiognomy ..................................................................
    [Show full text]