Latin Letters

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Are letters literature? We will pursue this question as we read the correspondence of two important Roman public figures, Cicero (106-43 BCE) and Pliny the Younger (c. 61-c. 112 CE). Collections of each man’s correspondence were carefully crafted and published in antiquity, either during his lifetime or shortly after his death. We will consider when, why, and how these letters might be read by others than their addressee, and what we can learn from them about ancient Roman culture, friendship, politics, and literature.