LATN 34 Augustan Poetry: Ovid: Metamorphoses Spring 2005

Tuesday-Thursday 9:30AM-10:45AM     MURPHEY   221

quick links: SYLLABUS OVIDLINKS OVIDBIB LINKSforLATIN  basic hexameter  practical hexameter scansion

Instructor: Jim O'Hara  
319 Murphey Hall                            
Phone: 962-7662
e-mail: jimohara@ unc.edu (but remove the space before unc.edu
my home page: http://www.unc.edu/~oharaj
course home page: http://www.unc.edu/courses/2005spring/latn/034/001/
Office hours: T-W 11-12:00 in 319 Mu and by appt. or drop-in if I'm not busy
  
Description:
Readings in Latin from the Metamorphoses, Ovid’s great un-epic epic, in which he recounts myths of shape-changes from the creation of the world down to the his own time and that of the emperor Augustus.  Ovid’s stories are fun, funny, dreadful, silly, serious, and frivolous all at the same time, and deal with issues like divinity, power, love, rape, and identity, all in classic versions of famous myths influential throuhout the centuries.  The class will focus on developing a feel for Latin style and the Roman poetic tradition, and on both the myths themselves and how Ovid arranges them into an effective narrative.  Class discussion and some secondary readings will address modern critical approaches to Ovid.  Latin readings will be largely from Books 1-5 of the Metamorphoses.

Books:
R. Tarrant, ed., P. Ovidii Nasonis Metamorphoses (Oxford 2004) (The long –awaited Oxford text of the Metamorphoses, just out !  very exciting!)
W. S. Anderson, Ovid’s Metamorphoses Books 1-5 (Norman, Oklahoma 1997)
A.D. Melville, trans., Ovid Metamorphoses (Oxford, New York, 1986)

Latin assignments:
We’ll start a little slow but move towards 200+ lines a week of Latin.  You should come to each class prepared to translate and discuss any part of the assignment (asking to "pass" a couple of times during the term is OK--but save them for when you need them).  Class discussion and translation will figure in grading.  Anyone having trouble reading the assignment carefully should talk to me; improving technique is a big goal of the course.  Do not miss any classes; if you have truly compelling reasons, tell me ahead of time, then find out from a classmate what we did and what was assigned.

Other assignments:
A quiz early on, an exam after about a month, another exam a while after Spring Break, and a final exam.  Short readings in Ovidian scholarship most weeks (these are not on the syllabus yet); little assignments or exercises on meter from time to time. Short (3-5 pp.) paper due after, and final paper of 7-10 pp.  Class reports at the end of the term on your term paper (4-6 days before they are due)

Methodological urgings: 
Try to split the Latin reading up into manageable chunks; working on it more than twice a week is almost mandatory.  I suggest making vocabulary notes in a notebook rather than writing in your book; I also strongly discourage writing out a translation, which takes forever: try to read and reread.  If you can go over the assignment a second time before class, try to notice what words you have to consult your notes for, and learn them.  Ovid, like all authors, repeats words many times; hard work in January will make the rest of the term easier.  Some like to put a dot in the dictionary for each word looked up: more than one dot means you'll save time by mastering the word.  Try not to consult a translation, at least not until you've made a good effort: try to understand why a line gave you trouble, and look for that phenomenon later on.  Mark impenetrable lines and ask about them in class.
Rereading as much as you can as often as you can is strongly recommended and can be both very enjoyable and extremely good for your Latin.

SYLLABUS

LINKS FOR OVID

BRIEF OVID BIBLIOGRAPHY

Some LINKS  for the study of Latin

METER: Some simple help on the hexameter: basic rules (this is an Aeneid handout) and practical rules for scansion from me, and the "Silver Muse" introduction to "epic versification" (i.e. meter) (SILVER MUSE LINK SEEMS NOT TO BE WORKING).  For a good page on the hexameter, with lots of metrical terms defined and illustrated, see the Skidmore page called Hexametrica.