AMS 260 Poetry and Performance

This course will examine the relationship between the evolution of poetic genres and the contexts of performance. The approach and range of topics will change from year to year. Examples of topics include Homeric poetry and the role of the oral tradition in the definition and maintenance of communities during the Archaic period; lyric poetry and the function of the persona loquens in the polis; Athenian tragedy and comedy as a reflection of the cultural, economic, and political concerns of Attika and the greater Greek-speaking world; Roman comedy and the interaction between Greek and Roman cultural norms. Students may take this course more than once if topics change.