The Muse at Play - Linguistic Games in Ancient Poetry (fakultet j. ang. B2+)

Here is an academic course for those who have a liking for the literature of the Greeks and the Romans and are at the same time fond of riddles, charades, or the humorous poetry of the likes of Lewis Carroll and Ogden Nash, or Tuwim and Barańczak in Poland. During this course, the focus will be on ancient sources and models for various sorts of poetic and linguistic play, such as those dating from different epochs that are collected in Julian Tuwim’s notourious anthology Pegaz dęba (Pegasus Rears). We will reflect on the functions the linguistic games and literary riddles have in ancient poetry and their continuous appeal in different periods. Incidentally, this will provide an opportunity to acquire basic knowledge about ancient poetry and culture. The course does not have any prerequisites besides sufficient knowledge of English; in particular, no knowledge of Greek or Latin is expected.

The point of departure for our reflection will be Julian Tuwim’s notorious collection of literary curiosities titled Pegaz dęba (Pegasus Rears). In this course, we will discuss ancient sources and models for such literary and linguistic play. Through discussing a selection of ancient poems and phemonena of ancient culture, we will make observations on the functions the linguistic games and literary play had in ancient poetry and their significance in antiquity and beyond. Incidentally, this will provide an opportunity to acquire basic knowledge about ancient poetry and culture. The course does not have any prerequisites besides sufficient knowledge of English; in particular, no knowledge of Greek or Latin is expected.

The following topics will be explored (some modifications are possible depending on how the course proceeds):

(1) Introduction: basic facts about Greek and Roman poetry, its periodization and genres; orality vs literacy; material documents of ancient literature and its state of preservation.

(2) Greek alphabet and basic facts about ancient metrics. Linguistic games on the wall of Pompeii.

(3) Ancient riddles.

(4) Acrostichs.

(5) Illustrated papyri and the Art of Eudoxus poem.

(6) The Antikythera Mechanism vs ancient poetry.

(7) Greek figure poems.

(8) The Tabulae Iliacae.

(9) Palindromes, anacyclic verse, anagrams.

(10) Laevius and Roman figure poems.

(11) Isopsephic verse.

(12) Mathematical problems in verse.

(13) Optatian Porfyry.

(14) Bilingualism in ancient poetry: Palladas, Optatian and Ausonius.

(15) The neo-Latin playful poetry of the Renaissance.

Sufficient proficiency in English (B2 level).

J. Kwapisz, D. Petrain and M. Szymański (eds) The Muse at Play: Riddles and Wordplay in Greek and Latin Poetry, Berlin 2013.

J. Kwapisz, The Paradigm of Simias: Essays on Poetic Eccentricity, Berlin 2019.

C. Luz, Technopaignia. Formspiele in der griechischen Dichtung, Leiden 2010.

J. Tuwim, Pegaz dęba, Warsaw 1950 (2nd ed. 2008).

H. Weiss, Bella bulla. Lateinische Sprachspielerein, 2nd ed., Bonn 1952.

The English translations of the Greek and Latin texts under discussion and additional literature on relevant topics will be successively supplied to the participants.

Upon the course’s completion, the student knows the basic facts about ancient book culture, the genres of Greek and Roman poetry and its periodization, the basic facts about the authors discussed in the class. The student is able to discuss in English, orally and in writing, ancient poetic texts, locate these within the history of ancient literature and identify their genres. The student is capable of formulating their own interpretive ideas on the poems under discussion. The student understands the importance of the ancient cultural heritage for modern culture.

Participation in discussions (50%), essay (50%).