Classics 219 - Posthumanist Perspectives in/on Classical Literature

Demigods. Monsters. Statues transformed into people and people transformed into birds, rivers and trees. Greek and Roman mythology, with its bestial transgressions and divine interventions, constantly roughs up the boundaries of the “human.” It challenges our conceptual distinctions between man and animal, animal and environment, living and inanimate. In short, it implicates a viewpoint that we might call posthumanist. And mythological literature is not alone in this. The animal choruses of Athenian comedy, historical narratives of Roman terraformation, Plato’s critique of writing and the technology of memory are just some examples of how Greek and Roman literature, despite its antiquity—and  maybe even because of its antiquity—addresses a variety of posthumanist concerns, from speciesism and animal ethics, to ecocriticism, to cyborg life. The goal of this course is to become familiar with some foundational works of Greek and Roman literature and art, as well as with some important recurring themes in the still-emerging field of posthumanist studies. Our survey of primary texts will include the epic poetry of Homer, Vergil and Ovid; Attic tragedy and comedy; Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy, historiography and pastoral poetry. Supplementary readings will be drawn from posthumanist scholars, such as Haraway and Wolfe, as well as from philosophers such as Deleuze and Guattari. We will consider not only how ancient art is illuminated by these theoretical perspectives, but also, conversely, how it furnishes points of reference for thinking about the present.

Fall semester. Visiting Assistant Professor Hansen.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference given to Classics majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Emphasis on readings; evaluative exercises will include short papers, reading quizzes and exams, etc.