Greek 115 Greek Lyric Grace Ledbetter
Fall 2010: Early Greek Poetry and Philosophy This seminar will focus on the development of early Greek poetry and philosophy (including Archilochus, Callinus, Tyrtaeus, Alcaeus, Alcman, Sappho, Hipponax, Mimnermus, Semonides, Solon, Homeric Hymns to Demeter and Apollo, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Pindar) paying particular attention to questions of normativity and subversion, exclusivity and inclusion, monstrosity, aristocracy, praise, integration, anxiety, connection, deceit, language, and bees. Required books 1) Hesiod, Theogony. ed. Richard Hamilton, Bryn Mawr Commentary. 2) D. Campbell, Greek Lyric Poetry. 3) Homeric Hymn to Apollo, eds Peter Smith and Lee Pearcy, Bryn Mawr Commentary. 4) Homeric Hymn to Demeter, ed. Julia Haig Gaisser, Bryn Mawr Commentary. 5) Heraclitus: Peri Phuseus, Henry W. Johnston, jr. Bryn Mawr Commentary. 6 Parmenides, eds David Sider and Henry Johnston, Bryn Mawr Commentary.
Required work Weekly reading, presentations and discussion Weekly short translation quizzes, marked but not graded Midterm exam Thursday, 10/28 Final exam will be scheduled by registrar (date will be posted Oct. 1) Final Paper due 12/18/10 (topics and drafts due earlier)
1 Week 1 (9/2) Reading: H. Fraenkel, Early Greek Poetry and Philosophy. Individual presentations on Fraenkel
Week 2 (9/9) Hesiod. Reading in Greek: Theogony 1‐616 Rest of Theogony in English Works and Days in English M. L. West, Theogony. Introduction + commentary.
Week 3 (9/16) Archilochus, Callinus, Tyrtaeus Reading in Greek: all of Archilochus in Campbell + Archilochus, “cologne epode” (text on blackboard) all of Callinus and Tyrtaeus in Campbell
Secondary (required) B. Snell, “The Rise of the Individual in the Early Greek Lyric” in his The Discovery of the Mind, ch. 3, pp. 43‐70. (blackboard) L. Kurke, 2000. The Strangeness of Song Culture: Archaic Greek Poetry.” In O. Taplin (ed.) Literature in the Greek World. Ch. 2, pp. 40‐69. (blackboard) Secondary (optional) Henderson, J. 1976. “The Cologne Epode and the Conventions of Early Greek Erotic Poetry.” Arethusa 9: 159‐179. (bb) Russo, J. 1974. “The Inner Man in Archilochus and the Odyssey.” GRBS 15: 139‐152. (bb)
2 Week 4 (9/23) Alcaeus, Alcman, Sappho 1 Reading in Greek: all of Alcman and Alcaeus in Campbell, Sappho, frag. 1 See Page’s Commentary (Sappho and Alcaeus) Secondary (required) Clark, C. A. 1996. “The Gendering of the Body in Alcman’s Partheneion: Narrative, Sex, and Social Order in Archaic Sparta.” Helios 23: 143‐172. (bb) Race, W. 1989. “Sappho, fr. 16 L‐P. and Alkaios, fr. 42 L‐P.: Romantic and Classical Strains in Lesbian Lyric.” CJ 85: 16‐33. (on JSTOR)
John Winkler, “Double Consciousness in Sappho’s Lyrics” from Winkler, The Constraints of Desire. (bb)
Week 5 (9/30) Sappho 2
Reading in Greek: the rest of Sappho in Campbell
Page’s commentary (Sappho and Alcaeus) Cf. Burnet Three Archaic Poets on various poems
Secondary (required): Greene, E. 1994 1996. “Sappho, Foucault, and Women’s Erotics.” Arethusa 29: 1‐14. (bb)
Segal, C. 1974. “Eros and Incantation: Sappho and Oral Poetry.” Arethusa 7: 139‐160. (bb) Will, F. 1966. “Sappho and Poetic Motion.” CJ 61: 259‐262. (on JSTOR)
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Week 6 (10/7) Hipponax, Mimnermus, Semonides, Solon
Greek: All of Hipponax, Mimnermus, Semonides, Solon in Campbell
Secondary (required)
Hubbard, T. K. 1994. “Elemental Psychology and the Date of Semonides of Amorgos.” AJPh 115: 175‐197. (on JSTOR)
Irwin, E. 2005. Solon and Early Greek Poetry: The Politics of Exhortation. Cambridge, New York., Chapter 7, “Solon and the Language of Tyranny” (bb) R. Rosen. 1990. “Hipponax and the Homeric Odysseus” Eikasmos I/1990: 11‐25 (bb) Optional: R. Rosen, 2007. “The Dynamics of Ancient Satirical Poetry” ch. 1 in his Making Mockery: The Poetic of Ancient Satire, pp. 3‐42. (bb)
Week 7: FALL BREAK
Week 8 (10/21) Homeric Hymns
Greek: Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Homeric Hymn to Apollo.
Secondary: J.S. Clay, The Politics of Olympus. Relevant chapters.
Week 9 (10/28) midterm + lecture on Orphism
4 Week 10 (11/4) Presocratic Philosophers 1: Xenophanes & Heraclitus
Greek Reading: fragments of Xenophanes (on bb); all fragments of Heraclitus (textbook, BMC commentary)
Secondary (required):
Andrew Ford, The Origins of Criticism, part 1. 2 “Xenophanes and the ancient quarrel” pp. 46‐66. (bb)
C. Kahn, The Art and Thought of Heraclitus, pp. 1‐23. (bb)
Week 11 (11/11) Presocratics 2: Parmenides
Greek reading: The fragments of Parmenides (textbook, bmc commentary)
Gallop, Philosophical commentary on Parmenides Detienne, Masters of Truth (selections)
Week 12 11/18 Pindar 1 Reading in Greek: Olympians 10, 12. (texts and commentaries on bb)
See Kirkwood commentary.
Reading in English: “Introduction” to Cambridge, Pindar Victory Odes, ed. Willcock. (on bb)
Bundy, Studia Pindarica
Optional: Willcock , M. N. 1978. “On First Reading Pindar: The Fifth Isthmian” G & R 25: 37‐45. (on JSTOR)
5 Nagy, G. 1990. Pindar’s Homer. Pp. 17‐135. (bb)
Heath, M. 1988. “Receiving the Kwmos: the context and performance of epinician” AJP 109: 180‐195. (JSTOR)
Week 13 11/25 Thanksgiving
Week 14 (12/2) Pindar 2: Olympian 1, Nemean 1, Pythian 6, Pythian 12
General introductory material. Everyone, please read: 1. Willcock, “introduction” to his commentary. Xerox outside my office. Basic information on the games, context, Pindar’s language and style. 2. Gentili, Poetry and its Public in Ancient Greece, pp. 102‐154: “praise and blame” and “poet‐patron‐public.” Book outside my office. Also in library. Agenda for seminar: 1. Olympian 1. Please reread. Also read the material on the house of Tantalus from Gantz that I will Xerox for you and leave outside of my office. Adriana will give her report. 2. Nemean 1 + Rose article “The Myth of Pindar’s First Nemean” Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 78: 145‐175. On JSTOR. Morgan and Fumiko report. One person will do a detailed translation and comment on language/style. The other will focus more on interpretation. 3. Pythian 6 (this is not on the original syllabus). Text and comment** ary outside my office. + Leslie Kurke, “Pindar’s Sixth Pythian and the Tradition of Advice Poetry” TAPA 120 (1990) 85‐107. On JSTOR Bill report. 4. Pythian 12 [also not on original syllabus]. Text outside my office + Charles Segal, “The Gorgon and the nightingale” the voice of female lament and Pindar’s Twelfth Pythian Ode.” Outside my office. Amanda report
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Week 15 (12/4) Pindar 3: ideology and imagery
Reading in Greek: Pythians 9, 10. (texts and commentaries on bb)
Read at least two of the following: Kurke, L. 1991. “introduction: Genre, Poetics and Social Change” from her Traffic in Praise pp. 1‐12. (bb)
Kurke, L. 1991. “The Ideology of Aristocratic Exchange” Traffic in Praise, pp. 85‐107. (bb)
Carson, A. 1982. “Wedding at Noon in Pindar’s Ninth Pythian” GRBS 23: 121‐128. (bb)
Rose, P.W. 1982. “Towards a Dialectical Hermeneutics of Pindar’s Pythian X” Helios 9: 47‐73. (bb)
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