Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Undergraduate

This course, a discussion-oriented first-year seminar, explores through close readings the 18th-century British historian Edward Gibbon's magnum opus, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , with two main sets of questions in mind: Firstly, what is Gibbon's picture of the world of the Roman Empire and the processes of historical change, how do account for it, and how accurate is it? And secondly, what is interesting and important about Gibbon's methodology, language, and rhetoric, how do we understand these elements of his work in his own intellectual and historical context, and what is the influence of his work upon the course of historical writing? Enrollment limited to first-year students. No knowledge of Roman history is required. WR , HU TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm