COMP 220
Monsters on the Margins in Ancient Greek and Roman Literature Fall 2013
Division I
Cross-listed CLAS 220
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

What kinds of behavior qualify as monstrous? What “work” do monsters perform for a society? This course considers the intrusion of the abnormal, inappropriate, and extraordinary into Greek and Roman literature. We will trace the changing definitions of hero, monster, and outsider across time, space, and cultural context, from Odysseus and the Cyclops to Lucius, a man transformed into an ass, and Lucian, who with his comrades fought in literature’s first interplanetary war. We will also investigate the intersection of the “monstrous” with issues of gender, language/culture, social status, and geography. Readings will examine monsters, and outsiders depicted as monstrous, from epic (Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Odyssey, Vergil’sAeneid, Ovid’s Metamorphoses), drama (Euripides’ Heracles, Medea, and Cyclops), philosophy (Plato’s Symposium), and novels (Apuleius’ Golden Ass, Lucian’s True History).
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 25
Expected: 25
Class#: 1889
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation will be based on class participation, weekly reading responses, two papers of 5-7 pages, a midterm and a final exam
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: if the course is oversubscribed, preference will be given to majors and prospective majors in Classics, Comparative Literature, and other literatures
Distributions: Division I
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
CLAS 220 Division I COMP 220 Division I

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