F. Vian - É. Delage, Apollonios de Rhodes. Les Argonautiques, III: livre IV, Paris, Les Belles Lettres 1996.
Learning Objectives
To gain a solid knowledge of Greek literary language and of Greek literature of the classical and Hellenistic age. To learn a method of philological analysis of Greek poetical texts, investigating their textual problems, their formal features and their meaning in literary history.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of Greek language in its basic form as usually taught in both high school and first steps at the University (i.e. Attic dialect and koinè).
Teaching Methods
Traditional lectures, including translation of Greek texts and commenting on them; frequent practice of translation from Greek by the students.
Further information
For the final exam, a sound knowledge of Greek metre is needed. Those who need to improve their skills are welcome to the "laboratorio di greco 2".
Type of Assessment
Questions, discussion and exercitations from time to time during the class; oral examination at the end, aiming to test the student’s competence in both Greek language and literary, historical, cultural aspects of the ancient texts.
Course program
(a) Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica, book IV.
(introduction on literary history; reading, translation and commentary)
Reference ed.: F. Vian - É. Delage, Apollonios de Rhodes. Les Argonautiques, III: livre IV, Paris, Les Belles Lettres 19962.
Cf. also: E. Livrea, Apollonii Rhodii Argonauticon liber quartus, Firenze, La Nuova Italia 1973; R. Hunter, Apollonius of Rhodes. Argonautica, Book IV, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 2015; G. Paduano - M. Fusillo, Apollonio Rodio. Le Argonautiche, Milano, BUR 1986 (and later reprints), or A. Borgogno, Apollonio Rodio. Argonautiche, Milano, Mondadori 2003 (and later reprints), or S. C. Calzascia, Apollonio Rodio. Argonautiche, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Rusconi 2019.
(b) Examination program
(i) A sound knowledge of Greek literary history of the classical age, i.e. 5th and 4th c. BC.
Suggested handbooks: A. Lesky, Storia della letteratura greca, I, trad. it., Milano, Il Saggiatore 1962 (and later reprints; last revised ed. in one volume, 2012); F. Montanari - F. Montana, Storia della letteratura greca, I, Roma, Storia e Letteratura 2017 (the editio maior in two volumes, not the thinner single-volume one published by Laterza); otherwise, a good high school handbook.
(ii) Metrical reading, Italian translation and commentary of Apollonius’ 4th book (in its entirety).
(iii) Reading of the Greek text, Italian translation and brief commentary of the following works.
• A book of the Odyssey.
Reference ed.: M. L. West, Homeri Odyssea, Berlin-Boston, W. de Gruyter 2017; or A. Heubeck, S. West & al, Omero. Odissea, I-VI, Milano, Mondadori/Valla 1981 ss. (and later reprints; now also in a cheaper paperback ed.).
• Theophrastus, Characters.
Reference ed.: J. Diggle, Theophrastus. Characters, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 2004.
Cf. also: G. Pasquali - V. De Falco, Teofrasto. I caratteri. Milano, BUR 1979 (and later reprints).
• Fragments of archaic and late archaic lyric poets.
Reference ed.: E. Degani - G. Burzacchini, Lirici greci, II ed. con aggiornamento bibliografico a cura di M. Magnani, Bologna, Pàtron 2005, pp. 121-348.