Modern Philology

Μῆτις (cunning, intelligence) and tragedy As M. Detienne and J. P. Vernant demonstrated in their book Cunning Intelligence in Ancient Greece, the notion of μῆτις (cunning, intelligence), already perfectly delineated in the Homeric poems, proves to be extremely persistent in Greek culture, being consistently attested with coherent characteristics in works down to the imperial age. Detienne and Vernant left out of their analysis Attic tragedy, which, on the contrary, offers many insights into this subject. After outlining the fundamental characteristics of the concept and illustrating its polar opposition to βίη starting from the Homeric poems (which exemplify the notion in the opposition between Achilles and Odysseus), the course will focus on Euripides' Medea and Sophocles' Electra, in which the notion of μῆτις emerges and is defined through its relationship with the Homeric model. Plato's Hippias Minor will also be analyzed, in which a comparison between Achilles and Odysseus is proposed.

Knowledge of Greek language and literature expected after a three-year degree in Classical Literature or equivalent

M. Detienne - J. P. Vernant, Le astuzie dell'intelligenza nella cultura greca, Roma - Bari 1999. P. J. FInglass, Sophocles. Electra. Cambridge 2007. D. J. Mastronarde, Euripides. Medea, Cambridge 2002. M. Nussbaum, La fragilità del bene. Fortuna ed etica nella tragedia e nella filosofia greca, Bologna 2011. S. Venturelli, Platone. Ippia Minore. Baden-Baden 2020.

Attendance is warmly encouraged; students not able to attend must contact the teacher

There will be an oral test at the end of the course. The test will assess the degree of basic knowledge of the subject and the ability of the students to communicate the knowledge acquired and to use it to make personal judgments. The minimum threshold to pass the exam is 18/30: to achieve this score the student must demonstrate that he has reached a sufficient knowledge of all the topics of the course. To achieve the maximum score (30/30 cum laude), the student must demonstrate that they have acquired an excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course and that they are able to present them in appropriate language and to elaborate them in a personal and consistent way.

Lectures as well as papers presented by students

Μῆτις (cunning, intelligence) and tragedy As M. Detienne and J. P. Vernant demonstrated in their book Cunning Intelligence in Ancient Greece, the notion of μῆτις (cunning, intelligence), already perfectly delineated in the Homeric poems, proves to be extremely persistent in Greek culture, being consistently attested with coherent characteristics in works down to the imperial age. Detienne and Vernant left out of their analysis Attic tragedy, which, on the contrary, offers many insights into this subject. After outlining the fundamental characteristics of the concept and illustrating its polar opposition to βίη starting from the Homeric poems (which exemplify the notion in the opposition between Achilles and Odysseus), the course will focus on Euripides' Medea and Sophocles' Electra, in which the notion of μῆτις emerges and is defined through its relationship with the Homeric model. Plato's Hippias Minor will also be analyzed, in which a comparison between Achilles and Odysseus is proposed.

Knowledge of Greek language and literature expected after a three-year degree in Classical Literature or equivalent

M. Detienne - J. P. Vernant, Le astuzie dell'intelligenza nella cultura greca, Roma - Bari 1999. P. J. FInglass, Sophocles. Electra. Cambridge 2007. D. J. Mastronarde, Euripides. Medea, Cambridge 2002. M. Nussbaum, La fragilità del bene. Fortuna ed etica nella tragedia e nella filosofia greca, Bologna 2011. S. Venturelli, Platone. Ippia Minore. Baden-Baden 2020.

Attendance is warmly encouraged; students not able to attend must contact the teacher

There will be an oral test at the end of the course. The test will assess the degree of basic knowledge of the subject and the ability of the students to communicate the knowledge acquired and to use it to make personal judgments. The minimum threshold to pass the exam is 18/30: to achieve this score the student must demonstrate that he has reached a sufficient knowledge of all the topics of the course. To achieve the maximum score (30/30 cum laude), the student must demonstrate that they have acquired an excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course and that they are able to present them in appropriate language and to elaborate them in a personal and consistent way.

Lectures as well as papers presented by students