| Unit name | Homeric Society |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS12343 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Knippschild |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The Iliad and the Odyssey were the founding texts of Greek culture, an important part of which was constructed out of interpretations of Homer's great poems of war, marriage, loss and love. This unit will consider both the principle themes of the poems themselves, with particular focus on the figures of Achilles, Hector, Odysseus and Penelope, and their function as representations of particular values and ideals, social conflicts and political ideas. We shall be asking what kind of history we can write from the epics as a 'source' and how audiences of Homer themselves responded to these poems. We shall also look at current trends in Homeric scholarship, and ask how much we gain from new, rather than more traditional readings of the epics.
