GREEK 461 A: Early Greek Literature

Greek 461A EARLY GREEK LITERATURE: THE HOMERIC HYMNS TO APHRODITE, HERMES, AND APOLLO.

Fall 2022, MW 2:30-4:20, Savery 167

Olga Levaniouk

olevan@u.washington.edu

SCHEDULE

In this class we’ll read some of the most famous (and fun) of a very interesting group of texts, the Homeric Hymns. Composed in hexameter, these poems were ascribed sometimes to Homer and sometimes to “Homeridai” and might have been performed at festivals before poetic contests. They celebrate the gods by telling some of their most colorful myths and contain many a delightful passage as well as plenty of mythological and religious puzzles. We'll discuss these texts along with pursuing our main goal: to continue (or begin) introducing students to the grammar and vocabulary of Homeric language. Apart from translation, the work for the course will involve a modest amount of secondary reading (not a major feature of the course, but a few articles on these hymns are just too good to miss), a brief class presentation, and a short essay which may (but does not have to) take the form of a commentary on a passage. Evaluation will also include two passage-analysis exercises.

Books:

Richardson, N. Three Homeric Hymns: To Apollo, Hermes, and Aphrodite. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics 2010.

Cunliffe, R. A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect. Norman 2012.

Optional/additional: 

Olson, D. The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite and Related Texts. De Gruyter 2012.

Faulkner, A. The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite. Oxford 2008.

Useful links:

Lenny Muellner explains Homeric hexameter

Evaluation:

passage analysis: 20%

secondary reading assignment: 20%

class participation: 20%          

report: 15%                

essay (5-8 pages): 25%

Religious accommodations

“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links to an external site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) (Links to an external site.).”

Learning Support:

• Many materials for the class are provided via canvas. If  you do not have access to canvas please let me know  and we'll find a way of getting the materials to you.
• Access and Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me so we can discuss your needs in this course.
• UW Academic Support: http://depts.washington.edu/aspuw/more/campus-resources/Links to an external site.
• UW Counseling Center: http://www.washington.edu/counseling/Links to an external site.