Tacitus (56-120?) The Annals of Imperial Rome. Trans. by M. Grant.
A History of Rome from the end of the reign of Augustus (14) through the suicide of Nero (69). Written in the Annalistic style, the reader knows that a new year is beginning when T. states: "In the following year, the consuls were.......and ....... ". The Romans specified the year by naming the consuls elected for that year.
Main Characters:
Livia, Tiberius, Germanicus, Agrippina I, Sejanus, Messalina, Claudius, Nero, Agrippina II
Suetonius (69-140) The Twelve Caesars. Trans. by R. Graves
A series of biographies which became the preferred genre (as opposed to annalistic historiography) for recording the lives of Roman rulers. Suetonius abandoned the chronological method in favor of classifying material according to subject matter.
Apuleius (125-160) The Golden Ass. Trans. by E. J. Kenney.
Apuleius' Golden Ass is a complete novel in which the main character, Lucius, narrates his story about his journey to Hypata, where he is mistakenly turned into an ass by magic, through his misfortunes in animal form to the point where he is saved by the goddess Isis. The story has many levels and includes many anecdotes, usually heard by Lucius while in ass-form. One of these is the famous Cupid and Psyche story, in which the character of Psyche displays behavior not unlike Lucius.
Juvenal (exact dates unknown - perhaps around 50 - 120) The Satires of Juvenal. Trans. by R. Humphries
Juvenal's Satires are written in dactylic hexameter, which had become consistent as the proper meter for satire by his time. His apparent anger over social and individual mores gives his poetry a biting and caustic tone. Caution must be used in reading Juvenal - his work is NOT history and cannot be taken as historical fact.
Course Pack
The authors and works included in thie course pack will be introduced in class. Petronius and Seneca both wrote in Latin during the reign of Nero and were both forced to commit suicide by their emperor. Plutarch (circa 145-125) wrote in greek and was considered one of the most influential intellectuals of his time. Lucian (circa 120-190) also wrote in greek and his dialogues and satires, while appearing to illustrate an author concerned with fraud, tend to be fantastical with the main intent being entertainment.
Petronius, Satyricon (Trimalchio's Dinner)
Seneca, Apocolosyntosis
Plutarch,
- Marriage Counsel
- Dialogue on Love
- Consolation to his Wife
Lucian, Satires