51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ

Course Description

Summary

This intermediate Latin course will examine the theme of katabasis -- descent into the underworld. Special attention will be paid to book six of Virgil's Aeneid and its relationship to Homeric precedents. We will read selections from Ovid (Orpheus and Eurydice) and examine Lucretius' philosophical vision in De rerum natura. Lucan's unique adaptation of epic katabsis in the Pharsalia will serve as a basis for a consideration of epic's transformation in the Silver Age. We will conclude by looking at katabasis in European literature, particularly in Dante. Grammar review, vocabulary development, and the fundamentals of Latin metrics will be important focus points.