Augustine's Confessions

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

In this course we will read an intimate portrait of the life and times of an ancient Roman and saint in his own words, unmediated by any translation. Augustine’s Confessions is often credited with defining the genre of autobiography, and there can be no doubt that its influence on later literature has been profound. It also happens to be highly entertaining and almost novelistic in its characters and unexpected situations, but at the same time disarming in its apparent honesty and realism. Through close reading, students will increase their knowledge of everyday life in the Roman empire while viewing it from the perspective of one of that empire’s greatest minds.