Study of stories from antiquity that have
influenced countless generations of writers and
artists. This course traces these works'
influences in English literature, both in
early-modern translations (chiefly of Homer) and
via literary adaptations and allusions, including
a few from the Romantic and Victorian eras.
Students will grapple with awesome tales of gods
and monsters and gain a better understanding of
such foundational literary genres as epic,
tragedy, and lyric. Texts may include works by
Homer, Sappho, the King James Bible, Horace,
Virgil, and Ovid, as well as later responses to
antiquity such as Shakespeare's "Venus and
Adonis," Milton's "Samson Agonistes," Keats's "Ode
to a Nightingale," and Tennyson's "Ulysses."
influenced countless generations of writers and
artists. This course traces these works'
influences in English literature, both in
early-modern translations (chiefly of Homer) and
via literary adaptations and allusions, including
a few from the Romantic and Victorian eras.
Students will grapple with awesome tales of gods
and monsters and gain a better understanding of
such foundational literary genres as epic,
tragedy, and lyric. Texts may include works by
Homer, Sappho, the King James Bible, Horace,
Virgil, and Ovid, as well as later responses to
antiquity such as Shakespeare's "Venus and
Adonis," Milton's "Samson Agonistes," Keats's "Ode
to a Nightingale," and Tennyson's "Ulysses."
- Teacher: Kurt Fosso