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| Unit name |
Modern Literary Receptions of the Trojan War |
| Unit code |
CLASM0047 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
M/7
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Dr. Zajko |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department |
Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Description including Unit Aims
English literature of all periods is indebted to, or contains traces of, the literature of classical antiquity. This unit investigates the nature of these classical presences in major writings of English literature from a variety of historical periods and in a variety of genres by focusing on responses to The Trojan War. The aim is a close and sophisticated critical engagement, informed by exploration of current theories of reception, translation and intertextuality, with the complex interactions between Classical and English Literature.
The aims of this unit are:
- to familiarise students with a variety of models for reception and the issues of
interpretation raised therein
- to read a range of major English poems in the light of their classical predecessors and
refine interpretative skills
- to enable students to use the knowledge acquired in seminars and through independent
research to construct coherent, relevant and critical arguments concerning the interpretative
issues raised
- to develop student skills in oral and written communication, and in independent research.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students should:
- be familiar with a variety of models for reception and the issues of interpretation raised therein
- have read a range of major English poems in the light of their classical predecessors and refined their interpretative skills
- have had the opportunity to develop their skills in oral and written communication, in making seminar presentations, taking part in seminar discussions, and in assessed essays
- be able to use the knowledge acquired in seminars and through independent research to construct coherent and critical arguments
Teaching Information
Seminars
Assessment Information
Summative assessment: 1 essay of 4,000 words (100%)
Formative assessment: written feedback on a presentation; comments on plans and draft bibliographies for summative essay.
Reading and References
- Sarah Annes Brown, The Metamorphosis of Ovid: from Chaucer to Ted Hughes, 1999
- Lorna Hardwick, Translating Words, Translating Cultures, 2000
- David Hopkins, Conversing with Antiquity: English Poets and the Classics, from Shakespeare to Pope, 2010
- Alexandra Lianeri and Vanda Zajko (eds), Translation and The Classic, 2008
- Charles Martindale, Redeeming the Text: Latin Poetry and the Hermeneutics of Reception, 1993
- Charles Martindale and Richard Thomas (eds), Classics and The Uses of Reception, 2006
