Middlebury

CLAS 0230

Myth & Contemporary Experience

Myth and Contemporary Experience: Modern Poems on Classical Myths
Greek mythology, an enduring presence in Western thought, has provided, according to Carl Jung, the foundation of one half of our spiritual tradition. In this course we shall study how this rich mythical material has shaped modern poetry. Through close readings of modern poems and their ancient models, we will trace the way 20th-century poets appropriate and transform the classical past in order to reflect on their historical present. While viewing this function of myth as an element of modernity, we shall also explore how these poets build connections between the archetypal meaning of the ancient stories, the questions of existence, and our own contemporary lives. Readings will include Rilke, Eliot, Pound, Cavafy, Montale, Akhmatova, Borges, as well as Sylvia Plath, Joseph Brodsky, Derek Walcott, Louise Glück, and Seamus Heaney. 3 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.
Subject:
Classics
Department:
Classics
Division:
Humanities
Requirements Fulfilled:
CMP LIT PHL
Equivalent Courses:
CMLT 0230 *
LITP 0230

Sections

Fall 2017

CLAS0230A-F17 Lecture (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Y-F17 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Z-F17 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)

Fall 2015

CLAS0230A-F15 Lecture (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Y-F15 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Z-F15 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)

Spring 2013

CLAS0230A-S13 Lecture (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Y-S13 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Z-S13 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)

Fall 2010

CLAS0230A-F10 Lecture (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230X-F10 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Y-F10 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)

Spring 2009

CLAS0230A-S09 Lecture (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230X-S09 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)
CLAS0230Y-S09 Discussion (Hatjigeorgiou)