Latin 463: Latin Literature of the Empire Spring 2024
Martial Epigrams and Statius Silvae
Prof. Stephen Hinds shinds@uw.edu
5 credits, A&H, taught in person
T TH 2:30-4:20 pm, Denny Hall (DEN) 256
SLN 16039
We will sample everyday life in late first century CE urban Rome via selections in Latin from the midsize Silvae of Statius and the short and succinct Epigrams of Martial, with modern commentaries to guide us throughout in matters of linguistic usage and cultural context. Two very different poetic voices will invite us to react to everything that makes imperial Rome Roman, sometimes (esp. in Statius) in a spirit of celebration, sometimes (esp. in Martial) in a spirit of mockery. From the court of Domitian to the haunts of high society and low, there will be much to judge. Side visits to Statius’ Neapolitan and Martial’s Spanish places of origin may be included, and we will look at each poet’s distinctive way of making his artistic pitch.
Required textbooks:
Craig Williams (ed.) A Martial Reader: Selections from the Epigrams, Bolchazy-Carducci 2011
Carole E. Newlands (ed.) Statius: Silvae Book II, Cambridge UP 2011
Note that the department’s Latin/Greek 461-2-3 cycles change every year: a course like Latin 463 can be taken more than once during your undergraduate career.
This is an upper-level Latin reading class, which presupposes first-year and some second-year college Latin coursework, or equivalent. Please email the instructor at shinds@uw.edu if unsure whether your level of Latin language work is right for this class. The other option is Latin 307, also offered in Spring Quarter, which is in our second year (intermediate) Latin sequence.