Latin 520 WI 2026
The Ancient Novel and their Worlds
Mon and Wed 2:30-4:20
The Latin novels of Petronius and Apuleius provide lushly imagined fictional versions of the Roman imperial world. We will explore their language, style and intertextual hijinks along with their imperial contexts. We will focus our reading in Latin on the Psyche and Cupid episode of Apuleius' Metamorphoses and the Cena Trimalchionis episode of Petronius' Satyrica. I expect also to devote some time to brief discussion of selections from the Greek novels (readings in English translation).
We will be primarily using these commentaries
E. J. Kenney 1990. Cupid and Psyche: Apuleius. Cambridge University Press
Martin S. Smith 1982. Cena Trimachionis: Petronius. Oxford University Press.
Requirements include
participation in seminar, two translation tests, brief non-translation assignments, presentation, SCS style paper.