Dear Mythologists,
On Wednesday, October 16, we start winding down our considerations of ancient myth with the Argonautica of Apollonius (a.k.a. Jason and the Golden Fleece). Written in a different era from the Iliad and the Odyssey (four centuries after) and in a different locale (the city of Alexandria in Egypt), the Argonautica will naturally provide a different take on heroes and heroism. The poem is also a prequel of sorts to the Iliad and Odyssey, and once again shows how poets will jockey for position within the larger world of Greek myth.
Please do the following:
(1)
Read the Apollodorus handout on the Argonautic expedition, distributed
October 4. As he has done previously, Apollodorus will provide
us with a helpful overview of the entire myth and leave us free to savor
the fuller version by Apollonius.
(2) Read Argonautica books 1 and 2. As we noted when exploring Iliad
1, the first book of any epic is crucial to understanding the aims and
intentions of the author. Apollonius' book 1 is no exception.
(3)
Finally, take some notes on anything that seems relevant as you read,
and bring these notes to class. I AM GOING TO TURN THE BULK OF THE
DISCUSSION OVER TO YOU, to see what you make of this poem. After reading
Hesiod, Euripides, and Homer in terms of the "What? Why? and How?" of
myth, you ought to be able to hold an extended conversation amongst each
other about these features in Apollonius.
Please let me know if you have questions.
DC
Showing posts with label Apollodorus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apollodorus. Show all posts
Friday, October 4, 2019
Friday, September 27, 2019
Class on Friday, 10.04.19
Dear Mythologists,
As you know, I decided to give us one more day on the Iliad, so as not to rush our exploration of this poem,and to allow time for us to review scenes from the movie Troy (2004).
Hence, I've shunted the original post for this day (in which we were supposed to begin the Argonautica) to another day.
This post will now serve as a record of what we did in class today, with links to some of the documents distributed in class.
On Friday, October 4, we concluded our discussion of Homer's Iliad and watched some clips from Troy.
We also tested the Classics Audio Tour equipment and reviewed last-minute details for the field trip to the Met (October 5).
We began to consider the semester project, with emphasis on the first milestone, the Proposal (October 19).
We discussed the preview of the upcoming midterm exam (October 23).
DC
As you know, I decided to give us one more day on the Iliad, so as not to rush our exploration of this poem,and to allow time for us to review scenes from the movie Troy (2004).
Hence, I've shunted the original post for this day (in which we were supposed to begin the Argonautica) to another day.
This post will now serve as a record of what we did in class today, with links to some of the documents distributed in class.
* * * * *
On Friday, October 4, we concluded our discussion of Homer's Iliad and watched some clips from Troy.
We also tested the Classics Audio Tour equipment and reviewed last-minute details for the field trip to the Met (October 5).
We began to consider the semester project, with emphasis on the first milestone, the Proposal (October 19).
We discussed the preview of the upcoming midterm exam (October 23).
DC
Friday, September 20, 2019
Assignment for Wednesday, 09.25.19
Dear Mythologists,
On Wednesday, September 25, we begin to explore heroism as articulated in the Iliad of Homer, our oldest surviving work of literature from the ancient world. As I noted in class, the story of the Trojan War is one of the largest clusters of Greek myth, and it would in theory require many works the size of the Iliad to tell the whole thing, from origins to the war itself to the aftermath.
Homer solves that problem by directing our attention to a series of events during a few significant weeks in the tenth year of Trojan War, primarily an argument between the Greek warriors Agamemnon and Achilles. So long as the argument persists, the poem continues. When it is resolved, the poem begins to end.
Please do the following:
(1) Watch the following suite of Classical world videos for background on Homer, his methods, and the Trojan War:
(2) Read the Apollodorus handout on the Trojan War, distributed in class today, in order to appreciate the hugeness of this event within the corpus of Greek myth. Note that A. includes a handy summary of Homer's epic, a kind of ancient SparkNotes: useful as it might be, it is NOT a substitute for reading the actual Iliad.
(3) Read books 1, 3, and 5 of the Iliad (use your Apollodorus to fill in the gaps).
(4) Finally, bear the following questions in mind as you peruse this material:
On Wednesday, September 25, we begin to explore heroism as articulated in the Iliad of Homer, our oldest surviving work of literature from the ancient world. As I noted in class, the story of the Trojan War is one of the largest clusters of Greek myth, and it would in theory require many works the size of the Iliad to tell the whole thing, from origins to the war itself to the aftermath.
Homer solves that problem by directing our attention to a series of events during a few significant weeks in the tenth year of Trojan War, primarily an argument between the Greek warriors Agamemnon and Achilles. So long as the argument persists, the poem continues. When it is resolved, the poem begins to end.
Please do the following:
(1) Watch the following suite of Classical world videos for background on Homer, his methods, and the Trojan War:
(2) Read the Apollodorus handout on the Trojan War, distributed in class today, in order to appreciate the hugeness of this event within the corpus of Greek myth. Note that A. includes a handy summary of Homer's epic, a kind of ancient SparkNotes: useful as it might be, it is NOT a substitute for reading the actual Iliad.
(3) Read books 1, 3, and 5 of the Iliad (use your Apollodorus to fill in the gaps).
(4) Finally, bear the following questions in mind as you peruse this material:
- What was the cause of the Trojan War? Is this an easy question to answer? Why or why not?
- How does Homer remind us that he is making myth in the Iliad?
- What principles guide Homeric notions of heroism?
- Are you entertained by this poem about war? Why or why not?
Friday, September 13, 2019
Assignment for Wednesday, 09.18.19
Dear Mythologists,
Now that we've created the Greek cosmos and put Zeus in charge, and have made some progress on developing some mythical literacy, it's time to transition to the notion of heroism. All next week we'll focus on the exploits of the greatest Greek hero of them all, Heracles (Roman name: Hercules), as well as the kinds of stories that propagate his legends, all in an effort to understand the concept of the hero.
For Wednesday, September 18, please do the following:
(1) Review the Heracles section of the D'Aulaires reading from this summer (pp. 132–147) for a general overview/refresher on the hero's life, career, and death.
(2) Read the Heracles section of Apollodorus' Bibliotheca or Library (pp. 38–53), which was distributed in class. The Library is a Greek text dating from the 2nd century CE, and I'll be interested to see what you make of it.
(3) Read also Apollodorus' account of the creation at the front of your packet (pp. 5–7), which will probably seem both strange and familiar after our week of Hesiod.
As you do your reading, please consider the following questions:
DC
Now that we've created the Greek cosmos and put Zeus in charge, and have made some progress on developing some mythical literacy, it's time to transition to the notion of heroism. All next week we'll focus on the exploits of the greatest Greek hero of them all, Heracles (Roman name: Hercules), as well as the kinds of stories that propagate his legends, all in an effort to understand the concept of the hero.
For Wednesday, September 18, please do the following:
(1) Review the Heracles section of the D'Aulaires reading from this summer (pp. 132–147) for a general overview/refresher on the hero's life, career, and death.
(2) Read the Heracles section of Apollodorus' Bibliotheca or Library (pp. 38–53), which was distributed in class. The Library is a Greek text dating from the 2nd century CE, and I'll be interested to see what you make of it.
(3) Read also Apollodorus' account of the creation at the front of your packet (pp. 5–7), which will probably seem both strange and familiar after our week of Hesiod.
As you do your reading, please consider the following questions:
- How does the Daulaires' Heracles narrative resemble or differ from that of Apollodorus?
- How does Apollodorus' creation story resemble or differ from that of Hesiod?
- To judge only from the Apollodorus in front of you — that is, don't Google him or his work — what kind of text is he writing? What is the nature or purpose of his text?
DC
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