Latin 330mr - Topics: Advanced Readings in Latin Literature-Myths of Rome

A study of the tradition of Roman story-telling, stressing the connections among myth, legend and history in narratives of the early city. Discussions include the extent to which early Rome is part of the world of Greek myth, the process by which key statesmen and generals in the early legends came to represent the character of the noble families of later ages and then to symbolize central Roman virtues, the development of these legendary and quasi-historical narratives into a "myth" of the Roman national character, and the manipulation of traditional stories in the political and cultural disputes of later eras. Readings from Livy, Ovid, Vergil and Horace. Prerequisites: two courses at the 200 level or equivalent.