Spring 2010

LAT 312M • SECOND-YEAR LATIN II: PROSE

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce students to formal Latin prose style, as exemplified primarily through the work of Cicero. As a rhetorician, statesman, and man of letters prominent in the waning days of the Roman Republic, Cicero gives us a fascinating insight into this tumultuous and fertile transitional period in Roman history and literature. We shall examine some of his most notable works, illustrating different styles of writing. Readings will include sections of (1) the Dream of Scipio & De Amicitia as an example of philosophical prose, (2) the First Catilinarian Oration, as an example of political oratory, and (3) the Oration for M. Caelius, as an example of forensic, or law-court, oratory. In addition to discussing the historical, philosophical, and legal background of these works, we shall study the nature of the Latin periodic sentence, major rhetorical tropes, and argumentative structure. Relevant grammatical concepts will also be reviewed. Prerequisites:

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