LATN 340 Sex in the Satyricon: Romance in the Ancient
Petronius' Satyricon depicts the erotic misadventures of male lovers, Encolpius and Giton, as they excessively feast, fête, and ... fornicate in a series of near death experiences throughout the Mediterranean. While immensely entertaining and, at times ridiculous, this popular novel will provoke thoughtful class discussions about love (heterosexual and homoerotic), romance, gender, and sexuality in antiquity. We will examine the generic features of this work in relation to other surviving ancient novels whose authors were influenced by the second sophistic. Our consideration will also include the reception of these novels in postclassical literature, art, and film.
This course will meet three times a week, twice with CSLC 140, and a third weekly meeting in which all readings will be in Latin.