Latin 120: Readings in Imperial Latin Literature: Pliny the Younger
We will read selections from Pliny’s letters and discuss them in their political, social, and cultural context. The focus will be on letters dealing with literary pursuits, Pliny’s construct of matrimonial bliss and social elegance, family relationships, portraits of women, cultural clashes (dealing with rising Christianity in the eastern provinces), and natural disasters (eruption of Vesuvius).
Prerequisite: Latin 100 or consent of instructor (vpopescu@ucdavis.edu).
Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.
- GE credit: Arts & Humanities, World Cultures and Writing Experience.
Texts:
- Pliny the Younger, Selected Letters, edited by Jo-Ann Shelton (Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2016)
- The Letters of the Younger Pliny, translated by Betty Radice (Penguin Books, reprint) OR Pliny the Younger: Complete Letters, translated by P. G. Walsh (Oxford University Press, 2006)