"Heroines & Hysterics" - Women in Greek Tragedy

elective

Course aims:

To introduce the unforgettable protagonists Clytemnestra, Electra, Phaedra, or Medea, and the stories of their highly dysfuntional families; how do they relate to teach other; how they are modelled on each other (e.g., Phaedra and Medea who both know that what they're up to is surely to kill people one loves); how their characters develop, or simply change (e.g., the Electra figures as sketched by all three tragedians).

Basic understanding of technical terms in literary science; elementary knowledge of European literary history.

Problem-based lecture, discussions, text-based work, case study work, problem-based learning, creative methods, group work, close reading, using commentaries and making sense of textbooks.

5

Course learning content:

- reading and interpreting Greek texts in translation,

- evaluating the difficulties in understanding,

- articulating own idead in an academic and professional way,

- getting a clear idea of intertextuality and its various degrees,

- understand the impact of gender studies and its limitations,

- formulating ideas on the development of art: why does Euripides seem closer to, let’s say, Chekhov, than Aeschylus?; is that really so, or is it the wrong question?; does art develop like, let’s say, the methods of engineering do?.

Reading list:

The Electra plays, translated by P. Meineck, C.E. Luschnig, P. Woodruff, Indianapolis 2009.

S.B. Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity, New York 1975, 93-112.

M.R. Lefkowitz, Heroines and Hysterics, London 1981, e.g., 9-11 & 74-6.

Euripides, Medea and Hippolytus.

W. Allan, Euripides: Medea, and S. Mills, Euripides: Hippolytus, both published London 2002.

On successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:

- conceive and write an essay on a literary text,

- understand better the characteristics of Greek literature,

- acknowledge the impact of Classics,

- critically evaluating various methodological perspectives applied to analyzing texts,

- getting extensive factual knowledge in the field covered.

Grade system:

very good (bdb; 5,0): very good familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; very good understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

good plus (+db; 4,5): as above, except for minor deficiencies and inaccuracies.

good (db; 4,0): good familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

satisfactory plus (+dst; 3,5): satisfactory familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; average understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

satisfactory (dst; 3,0): basic familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; shallow understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

unsatisfactory (ndst; 2,0): unsatisfactory familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; no understanding or ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.