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CLST 4 Syllabus Classical Mythology

Summer Term 2005 12 hour: MWF 12: 30 to 1: 35, x-hour Tuesday: 1 1:50 James Tatum 321 Reed Hall, 646-3221 jht@dartmouth.edu Office Hours: Most any time, please blitz to arrange. Required Texts Apollodorus, Gods and Heroes of the Greeks: The Library (Simpson), Massachusetts Hesiod, Theogony & Works and Days (Athanassakis), Johns Hopkins Homeric Hymns (Shelmerdine), Focus Ovid, Metamorphoses (Mandelbaum), Harcourt Fritz Graf, Greek Mythology: An Introduction. Johns Hopkins. Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. Signet. Course Reader also at Wheelock Books and new Dartmouth Bookstore. General Comments. The first part of the course (down to the Hour Quiz) is the traditional introductory mythology course Classics always offers. The major change in this years offering is the intensive study of the tenth book of Ovids Metamorphoses and its remarkable progeny in later music, art, poetry, drama, and film. The recipe will be philological Slow Food (a concept to be explained in first class), a deliberate slow-down to the usual hectic pace of liberal arts courses (If this is Wednesday it must be all about the Iliad). Besides the required texts and the selections in the course reader, there are two basic books that will give you all the background you need for the course. Apollodoruss Library is the Yellow Pages of classical mythology, and like any good American businessperson I say this without apology. We cant leave home without Apollodorus. Simpsons translation and edition is a one of the great success stories of modern American classicism: your basic reference work for information about both the myths and the literary texts out of which Apollodorus and his successors constructed their mythologies. It will be the rare mythological figure you wont be able to track down via Simpsons end notes and commentary. Any context-setting, background for a particular literary treatment of a myth can be traced in outline here, and perhaps most useful of all, you can track the myth (where relevant) from ancient to modern appearances of it in literature. Fritz Grafs book is our other general reference work. He provides a general introduction to the theoretical and scientific study of myth in two brief and readable chapters (pp. 9-57). Chapters III through VII treat Greek literature as a witness to mythology; Graf is a classicist here, thinking of the witness in a technical sense derived from the Greek martyros, the martyr who gives testimony in a court; whats being

scrutinized here are literary texts from Homer through tragedy and later that use myth in different social and artistic contexts. Graf is not interested in Homer and others as literary texts but as rather sociological and intellectual data. His last chapter is in many ways his most interesting, because it will probably be talking about ways of interpreting that will be familiar to you through your familiarity with contemporary religious and cultural backgrounds. In the course of classes Ill be referring to specific discussions in Graf by chapter/page number. Copious electronic links and other resources will be in CLST 4 course webpage (not operative until term time), but one word of caution about using mythology cheat sheets and websites. By all means check them out, and at the same time realize that many of these potted resources are weirdly uninformed, or are dedicated to someone elses purposes. They may prove to be more of a distraction than a help to you. Finally, there will be a Reserve list of books that you will be using for Exercise 2 and various other assignments throughout the term. Course Requirements Nota bene: The exams and other assignments will assume your full-time attendance and your completion of all readings. Final grades are assigned to those who complete every requirement of the course. Unless specifically authorized, no work will be accepted electronically. Failure to hand in required work and pick it up when it is returned will be penalized and can lead to failure to complete the work of the course. Due dates and return dates are as follows. Please keep in mind that both these dates are of equal importance to your standing in the course: you need to be there and hand things in on time, and you need to be there to pick them up. More details will be given about each assignment in class. 1) Exercise 1: Greek Alphabet and Transliteration . Due July 1, returned July 6. 2) Exercise 2: The Logos of Mythology: Essay (6-7 pages, 1500 words). Due July 11, returned July 25. 3) Hour Exam: July 29, returned August 12. 4) Exercise 3: A Mythologist Reviews the Movies. Essay (6-7 pages, 1500 words). Due August 15, returned at the Final Exam, August 26. 5) Final Exam: August 26, 3:00 5:00 p.m., place set by Registrar. This exam will be cumulative, covering entire work of the course. Final exams can be picked up in Classics Department office, 307 Reed Hall, from September 1st. Finals from this offering of CLST 4 not collected by the start of Winter Term 2006 (January 6) will be discarded. The percentage of the final grade that each of these requirements represent will be roughly as follows:

1) Exercise 1: 2) Exercise 2: 3) Hour Exam: 4) Exercise 3: 5) Final Exam:

5% 20 % 25 % 20 % 30 %

You are responsible for seeing to two important points: 1) If you have a documented learning disability or any other need for special accommodations, I am ready to help you in any way you need. But please see me no later than the end of the first week of the term, Friday, July 1. No requests for special arrangements will be considered after that date. Naturally, all such discussions will be completely confidential. 2) Any emergency during the term (illness, family, etc.) that prevents you from completing any course requirement on time will be accommodated, but your excuse must be documented by the deans office. If you already know you will not to be able to meet any of the course requirements on time, and you have a legitimate reason for doing so, you must let me know of your situation no later than the end of the first week of the term as well: Friday July 1. No requests for changes or other accommodations will be considered after that date. Schedule of Meetings and Assignments Please keep the x-hour free throughout the term in case the need arises for rescheduling or extra sessions for review. Friday Monday June 24 June 27 1: The Logos of Classical Mythology. Introduction and assignments for Exercises 1 and 2. 2: The Poet Hesiod and the Muses. The Generation of the Gods (theogonic succession myths). Hesiod, Theogony (entire). 3: Creation of the World Ovid, Metamorphoses Book 1; Genesis 1-4, Enuma Elish (course reader). The Flood in Ovid (pp. 9-19) and Genesis 6-9. 4: Creation of Woman. The Pandora Stories in Hesiod, Theogony y and Works and Days. Exercise 1 (in class). Fourth of July Holiday

Wednesday

June 29

Friday Monday

July 1 July 4

Tuesday Wednesday

July 5 July 6

x-hour: optional. Workshop on writing and Exercise 2. 5: The Olympian Father Zeus (selections from Iliad and Odyssey in course reader). Exercise 1 returned. The Myth of the Races: Hesiod, Works & Days (entire), Ovid, Metamorphoses 1, 6-9 and 18-1. 6: The Divine Mother and her Daughter: Demeter and Persephone. Homeric Hymn 2 (to Demeter); Ovid, book 5, pp. 160-69. 7: Mortals, Artemis and Aphrodite. Homeric Hymn 5 (to Aphrodite) and Hymn 9 (to Artemis); Euripides, Hippolytus: Hippolytus, Phaedra, and the Nurse (selections, course reader). Exercise 2 (Essay) due. 8: Greek Apollo. Homeric Hymn 3 (to Apollo); Homer, Iliad book 1; Apollo scenes in Aeschylus, Eumenides (course reader). 9: Roman Apollo. Ovid, Metamorphoses 1, pp. 20 25 (Apollo and Daphne); Apollo in Augustan art; Bernini, Apollo and Daphne. Alice Fulton: Give: Daphne and Apollo (course reader) 10: Hermes the Trickster. Homeric Hymn 4 (to Hermes). The Trickster in Greek and African Culture (course reader). 11: Three Heroic Figures: 1) Odysseus. Ovid, Metamorphoses 13, pp. 427-45: The Contest with Ajax for the Arms of Achilles. Homer, Odyssey, selections from books 1, 9, 19, 23 and 24 (course reader). 12: Heroic Figures 2) Ajax. Homer, Iliad, selections from books 4, 7 and 9; Odyssey, book 11; Sophocles, Ajax (course reader). 13: Heroic Figures 3) Medea. Ovid, Metamorphoses, book 7, pp. 209-26; Euripides, Medea (course reader). Exercise 2 returned. x-hour: optional. Review session. 14: Hour Exam.

Friday

July 8

Monday

July 11

Wednesday

July 13

Friday

July 15

Monday Wednesday

July 18 July 20

Friday

July 22

Monday

July 25

Tuesday Wednesday

July 26 July 27

Metamorphoses, Book 10 Ovids Myths and Their Reception or Four Weeks and Twelve Classes Inspired by 30 Pages Friday July 29 15: The Myth of Orpheus I. What do we know about ancient music? Ovid. Metamorphoses, book 10; Vergil, Georgics, book 4 (course reader); Orpheus in ancient art. 16: The Myth of Orpheus II. Orpheus in Rilke and other modern poets, reception theory (course reader); Orpheus in modern art. 17: Orpheus and His Music Return To Life in Claudio Monteverdis Ofeo. Claudio Monteverdi and Alessandro Striggio, L Orfeo. Favola in Musica (1607). From classical myth to the stage: drama through music, the invention of music drama/opera. 18: Four Orpheus Films. 1) Jean Cocteau, Orphe (1950). The location and times for screening films will be set up in coordination with the Jones Media Center, and attendance is required and will be recorded. There will be multiple screenings to accommodate everyones schedule. Classes will show clips of key scenes and introduce you to basic points to have in mind for each movie. 19: 2) Marcel Camus, Orfeu Negro (1959). Syncretism of classical and African Brazilian myths and rituals. The transformation of Orpheus music into Brazilian music and dance (the bossa nova and samba). x-hour optional. Workshop on writing and Exercise 3. 20: 3) Sidney Lumet, The Fugitive Kind (1959) An adaptation of Tennessee Williams Orpheus Descending. (course reader) Hour Exam returned. 21: 4) Peter Hall, Orpheus Descending (1990). A video recording of a stage production of Williams play.

Monday

August 1

Wednesday

August 3

Friday

August 5

Monday

August 8

Tuesday Wednesday

August 9 August 10

Friday

August 12

Monday

August 15

22: The Song of Orpheus Erotic Humanism and the stories of Ganymede and Hyacinthus. Exercise 3 (Essay) due. 23: My Fair Statue. Pygmalion in Ovid and modern theater. Reading: Shaw, Pygmalion; Lerner and Lowe, My Fair Lady. For a reassuring story of man, woman, stone, and family values, review the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha, Metamorphoses, book 1. 24: Orpheus Tale of Myrrha and Cinyras A comparative reading of Orpheus (Ovids) tale and selected passages from Genesis 19 (the story of Lot and his daughters), Freuds Introductory Lecture on Psychoanalysis: 21, and Sophocles, Oedipus Rex (course reader). 25: Orpheus, Oedipus, and the Lot Complex. Selections from Robert Polhemus Lots Daughters (Stanford University Press, 2005; course reader). 26: The Death of Orpheus Venus and Adonis, Atalanta and Hippomenes, the Women of Thrace and the Death of Orpheus (book 11, pp. 359-61). W. E. B. Du Bois genteel allegorization of Ovids story: The Wings of Atalanta, from The Souls of Black, 1904 (course reader). Final Exam: 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Exercise 3 returned.

Wednesday

August 17

Friday

August 19

Monday

August 22

Wednesday

August 24

Friday

August 26