CL311 Schedule for Units 1-2

February 4, 2004

On Thursday, we will conclude the "Background" unit with the following items:

reading the end of the Seneca passage, with some discussion led by Andrea on the author and the work.

• a brief discussion of Tacitus' motive for discussing the riot of 59 and of Seneca's for the earthquake of 62. You might want to familiarize yourself with the Neronian age as discussed in Scullard's book (on reserve), "From the Gracchi to Nero."
• reading Horace's Satire 1.5.1-49, with the following assignments:
• Stacy: lines 1-5 (iter . malignis)
• Katy: 6-10 (hoc . comites)
• Molly: 10-14 (iam . est)
• Cliff: 14-18 (dum . certatim)
• Matt: 18-22 (tandem . sentimus)
• Hunter: 22-25 (donec . nympha)
• Kris: 26-30 (millia . amicos)
• Andrea: 31-36 (hic . vatillum)
• Vick: 37-43 (in ... alter)
• Allison: 44-49 (o qui . Vergiliusque)
• I'll have a few comments to make on Pompeii in the Augustan age, and in particular, on what the age of Augustus meant for the Roman world. Again, if your knowledge of this period is skimpy, you might want to turn to some sources for help: Scullard; the Oxford Classical Dictionary; any other work in the library on the age of Augustus. This is background reading, as is the section in Scullard on Nero's principate, and our discussions will benefit enormously if you have some familiarity with the historical and social contexts.
• The two excerpts from Seneca's letters (which may occur next Tuesday if we run out of time).
• Next Tuesday, we'll read the Florus passage (p. 4 of "Going to the Country") with an explanation of Florus' career, and this work, by Kris. Then we'll discuss the Bowersock article and the Mark Twain excerpt. If there's time, we'll begin the letter from Pliny to Fuscus that begins the section on "Daily Rounds: Patrons and Clients." Our work on that letter will continue into next Thursday, and we'll read the next Seneca passage (from the "de brevitate vitae") and the excerpts from Juvenal's satires probably on that Thursday as well.