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Ancient fiction blended ideal romance, fantastic adventure, and social realism into new literary forms that would have a lasting impact on the medieval and modern imagination, from early Christian and Renaissance literature to opera and film. This course will survey major works of fiction by Greek and Roman authors in translation, including the novels by Achilles Tatius, Apuleius, Chariton, Heliodorus, Longus, and Petronius and a selection of shorter pieces from related genres, such as satire, biography, and travel accounts. Lecture and discussion will address the development of several defining features: the central themes of love and death, the design and involution of narrative structure, the play of intertextuality, the drawing of imaginary landscapes, the portrayal of ethnic and social identity, and the labile classification of truth, or historicity, and falsehood, or fictionality. Students will also evaluate several theoretical approaches to the interpretation of ancient fiction and consider the influence of the ancient novels on their successors.

The main goal of this course is that you gain a basic knowledge of and appreciation for the style, structure, and social context of the varieties of fictional literature in the ancient world. We will concentrate our reading on the six major Greek and Roman novels that have survived intact from classical antiquity, but we will also trace a wider body of ancient literature and art that bears a significant relationship with the novels. The second goal is that you hone your critical skills as readers, learning to identify and critique form and content from several coinicident or conflicting angles. I will try to introduce you to an assortment of strategies for reading and critical evaluation. The third goal is that you develop greater confidence, fluency, and accuracy in communicating your thoughts in both writing and speaking. The format of the class and the written assignments will provide ample opportunity to practice different modes of composition.

EXPECTATIONS

My basic expectations of you are prompt attendance to class, timely and conscientious completion of assignments, and a concerted effort to contribute to our discussion.

If you foresee any absence or lateness for valid reasons (religious holiday; school-related event such as extramural athletic, artistic, or academic performance or competition; personal illness or tragedy), let me know well beforehand. The unexcused lateness of assignments brings a penalty of roughly 10% (one letter grade) per day. In the event of absence or lateness, you are responsible for contacting other students who were in attendance to find out what you missed.

I uphold the policies and regulations of Cornell University pertaining to the observance of religious holidays, assistance to the physically handicapped, plagiarism, sexual harassment, and racial or ethnic discrimination. I expect you to know and uphold these policies and regulations as well.

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASSES

Weekly assignments will chiefly consist of reading and preparing for discussion, though I will periodically require special tasks, such as writing discussion questions and leading discussion. Your graded assignments will includes three papers of increasing length, one turn at leading discussion, and one in-class presentation. I will also conduct short exercises in class periodically that will be graded. At the outset it is important to stress that, because of the nature of the course, which itself is not unlike a fictional text, the shape of our assignments might be redefined according to the needs and interests of the participants but only at my discretion.

Our classes will take the form of junior seminars during which we will discuss our readings in a structured manner. In our topical discussions, I will not only provide you with an adequate background concerning history, society, authorship and readership but also direct an open dialogue concerning various thematic issues pertinent to the current reading. Sometimes we will divide into smaller groups for discussion, and sometimes you will prepare activities for the class.

GRADING

Grading will be based on your performance in class (40%) and on written assignments (60%). Of course, productive involvement in the seminar will have a positive influence on your written assignments. The contribution of individual written assignments to your final grade will be roughly proportionate to the length of those assignments, though in the final calculation I will consider improvement and inconsistency. Your ability to meet the expectations listed above will also influence my grading.