Intro to Medieval Latin Lit

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course surveys the wide variety of Latin literature written between the waning of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance. A particular theme will be the massive influence exercised by Cicero, Virgil, and Ovid. We will read some epic poems as well as love poetry; prose genres will include philosophy (Boethius), history, and letters by major scholars and clerics that reveal much about daily life. The course will end with a consideration of Latin works written by the three crowns of Florence: Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch. All assigned texts will be read in English translation; no knowledge of Latin or Classical literature is required or assumed.