Module aims:

Students will...

• acquire a broad understanding of epyllion literature in Rome, and its relevance for thinking about conceptualisations of genre, 'Hellenisation', Roman power, authority and creative experimentation in the early imperial period, through both an ancient and a modern lens.
• appreciate how the form, content and poetics of the texts under consideration relate to broader political and historical questions in (the study of) 1st century BCE-1st century CE Rome, and beyond;
• develop skills in the close reading of literary texts (studied in translation, and for some students, in Latin);
• develop skills in the critical analysis of classical scholarship;
• gain awareness of comparative dimensions in the study of Latin literature, Roman culture, and thought

In additional, final year students will

• develop the ability to set findings into a wider comparative context, drawing in other aspects of the study of the ancient world;
• engage creatively with a wider range of secondary literature that includes discussion of classical literature within broader comparative, including critical-theoretical, frames.