Greek 310dd - Topics: Advanced Readings in Greek Literature I & II

A study of two important divinities and their place in Greek religion through readings of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and Euripides’ Bacchae, the two principal literary sources for study of these gods. The Hymn is our major source for knowledge of Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries, the oldest mystery cult in the Greek world. Euripides’ play is a deep and far-ranging meditation on the nature of the most complex of all Greek gods. Our approach will be both literary and historical.