This unit studies two of the most important and influential poems ever composed, Homer's Odyssey and Vergil's Aeneid. Ancient epic dealt with the grandest of themes—fate and heroism, love and war, monsters and social order. The unit examines the very different ways these two particular epics dealt with such themes and also seeks to situate them against their historical and literary backgrounds. In particular, the eighth-century BC Greek Odyssey is presented in the context of westward Hellenic expansion and the changing social conditions of the early archaic period, while the first-century BC Roman Aeneid is seen in the light of the world empire of Rome and the rising autocracy of Augustus. -- Course Website
Instructor: Dr Michael Champion
Prerequisites: any Level 2 CLAN unit
