Intro to Roman Love ElegyElegy

Professor Jennifer Rea

jrea@classics.ufl.edu

Office Hours: W 1-4 in Dauer 142 and gladly by appointment

About the Professor

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

MA from Indiana University

PhD in 1999 from Wisconsin

Areas of specialty: Augustan Age and Roman material culture

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I am editing my book, Legendary Rome, which will be published by Duckworth in 2007.

What is Elegy?

Modern term usually means a poem of mourning for the dead

In the ancient world the poem could also be about love or praise

Greek influence (especially Callimachus) has poems about death or an encomium (praise)

Roman Love Elegy

The Romans added love to the list of elegy topics and the world has never been the same since . . .

Erotic love and courtesans abound in this world

Book you are about to read is called the Monobiblios

Quis Est Propertius?

Very little is known about the poet and his life

Sextus Propertius

Born around 57 BC, dead by 2 AD.

Quis est Cynthia?

Propertius’ lover

Real name was Hostia

She was probably a meretrix

Affair most likely did not last more than 5 years

Rome in Propertius’s time

The Palatine hill housed the legendary foundations of the city

Rome in Propertius’s time, II

The Capitoline hill was the center of Roman religious and political space

Course Objectives

To discuss some of the common themes of Latin Love Poetry and Elegy

To improve your Latin skills

To have interesting class discussions about the Roman conceptions of love, sex and gender

Some context for Propertius 1.1

First four lines are very similar to an epigram of the Greek author Meleager (acknowledge your predecessor)

Original Greek poem was to a young man

Cynthia is prima but . . . . Milanion and Atalanta girl acts like boy, gets treated

like one Love is treated as though it is a

near-fatal disease Who is the poet’s anger aimed

at?

The Question No One Asks When Reading Latin

What determines how good you can be at something? Is it talent or practice or really, really expensive coaching?

Pre-Reading Guide, Poem 1

What words modify me in 1.1-2?

What case is fastus in 1.3? What other word does it agree with?

Who is the subject of docuit in 1.5?

What case is anno in 1.6 and why?

What is fugiendo in 1.8? How would you translate it?

What does amens (1.11) mean?

Who does saucius (1.14) modify?

What construction follows facite (1.22)?

Pre-Reading Guide Con’t

What case is vobis and why (1.23)?

What word does non go with (1.26)?

What verb is ira the subject of and how do you translate quae (1.28)?

What word does meum modify (1.30)?

Does the verb annuit (1.31) look familiar to you? It should, as most of you see it every day.

What form is pares (1.32)?

For class next Wednesday

You are responsible for Propertius 1.1 and Propertius 1.2

The assignment is answering ALL of the questions on the pre-reading guide and translating both poems

If you have trouble translating a passage, you must come back to class knowing the vocabulary for the poem and be able to explain why you are having difficulties.