Principal Module Aims

This module offers an in-depth exploration of one of the major poets of the Augustan age. It will offer students the opportunity to develop their interpretive and linguistic skills (for those taking it in Latin) while also reflecting more broadly on political theories of authoritarianism and totalitarianism in and beyond antiquity.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module students will develop:

• A good understanding of Horace’s poetry, its role within the Augustan age, and the relationship between poetry and power under Augustus;
• A broad understanding of the main theories surrounding authoritarianism and totalitarianism in and beyond antiquity;
• A broad understanding of a number of literary theories, including persona theory, theories of genres, hermeneutics of suspicion, theories of the lyric;
• An ability to discuss Horace’s texts and other Latin texts from the Augustan age in literary terms and in their historical contextualisation;
• (for those taking the module in Latin) Advanced Latin linguistic skills;
• Advanced skills in the critical analysis of classical scholarship.

For Finalists:

• develop the ability to set their 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.