A study of the Greek creation and development of what we call historical writing in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, and comparison of the styles and techniques of the three earliest extant writers of Greek narrative prose.
Some of the ancients believed that Homer's epics preserved a record of events in their distant past, but to what extent they found his information reliable varies from one author to the next. There was no educated Greek who did not read Homer frequently and thoroughly, to the point of memorization. As Homer's world-view informed Greek society, his poetry influenced all subsequent poetic developments and, eventually, the late-born art of writing prose. Herodotus, the "Father of History," was also called the most Homeric of historians, for reasons which will become evident in reading selections of his work.
Thucydides proclaimed an intention to reject everything that was poetic or sensational and concentrate upon what was useful in history. The second book of his history will serve as an example for judging the whole. Xenophon began his history as a continuation of Thucydides' unfinished account of the Peloponnesian war; the Greek edition chosen does not include the later books which depart from the Thucydidean model, but there will be an opportunity to consult these books in English translation.
Thucydides, Books I and II; selections from Herodotus and Xenophon's Hellenica.
Prerequisites:
Competence at the 100-level in Greek.
Three hours.
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Last updated: 19 January 2001 Send Comments to: Barbara Rodgers, bsaylor@zoo.uvm.edu Copyright © 2001 UVM Classics Department All Rights Reserved. |