RLS025 Reading Homer's Iliad

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024

The course is not taught in Autumn 2024

Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Juraj Franek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Juraj Franek, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
! KR025 Reading Homer's Iliad
Working knowledge of English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 16 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Course "Reading Homer's Iliad" introduces students to the Homeric world by close reading of selected portions of the foundational text of Western literature, ancient Greek epic Ilias. Following the completion of the course, students will become familiar with the contents and the genesis of the work ("Homeric question"), its metrical and linguistic features, as well as basic notions of Homeric morality, religion, warfare and politics.
Given the influence Ilias exerted in European culture, good knowledge of its contents will benefit not only classicists, but also students of European national literatures, students of religion and art historians.
Lectures are held in English, the course is therefore well suited for incoming Erasmus students.
Learning outcomes
Following the successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- identify central isses of Homeric scholarship;
- present a detailed overview of Homer's Iliad;
- describe the society depicted in Homeric epics and evaluate its relation to various periods of Ancient Greek history (Mycenaean culture, "Dark ages", archaic period);
- identify the influence of Homeric epics on the subsequent development of European literature.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction.
  • 2. Homeric question.
  • 3. Metrical, stylistical and linguistic features.
  • 4.-11. Close reading of selected portions of the Iliad with commentary.
  • 12.–13.Concluding remarks.
Literature
    required literature
  • Lattimore, Richmond (trans.) (2011). The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
    recommended literature
  • Vidal-Naquet, Pierre (2000). Le monde d’Homère. Paris: Perrin.
  • de Jong, Irene J.F. (2004). Narrators and Focalizers: The Presentation of the Story in the Iliad. London: Bristol Classical Press.
  • Edwards, Mark W. (1987). Homer: Poet of the Iliad. Baltimore - London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Fowler, Robert (ed.) (2004). The Cambridge Companion to Homer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Wace, Alan J.B. - Stubbings, Frank H.A. (eds.) (1962). Companion to Homer. London: Macmillan.
  • Schein, Seth L. (1984). The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley - Los Angeles: University of California Press.
  • West, Martin L. (ed.) (1998-2000). Homerus: Ilias (2 vols.). Stuttgart - Leipzig: Teubner.
  • Rengakos, Antonios - Zimmermann, Bernhard (eds.) (2011). Homer-Handbuch: Leben - Werk - Wirkung. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler.
  • Parry, Milman - Parry, Adam (ed.) (1987). The Making of Homeric Verse: The Collected Papers of Milman Parry. New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Morris, Ian - Powell, Barry (eds.) (2011). A New Companion to Homer. Leiden - New York: Brill.
  • Redfield, James M. (1994). Nature and Culture in the Iliad: The Tragedy of Hector. Durham - London: Duke University Press.
  • Bakker, Egbert J. (2005). Pointing at the Past: From Formula to Peformance in Homeric Poetics. Cambridge, Mass. - London: Center for Hellenic Studies.
  • Slezák, Thomas A. (2012). Homer oder Die Geburt der abendländischen Dichtung. München: C.H. Beck.
Teaching methods
Reading, lectures and class discussions.
Assessment methods
Multiple choice test, a minimum of 70% is required to pass.
Language of instruction
English
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: every week.
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