Class Notes
In exchange for
the approximately forty-four hours of class instruction that you will miss, you
will need to study more and reread more and annotate and notate more fully. Do
not be misled into thinking that reading a summary can substitute for reading
the work itself. You will be asked to think critically about the material, and
you cannot do that successfully if you haven’t experienced the work first hand.
Consider the difference between experiencing Saving Private Ryan, or
Schindler’s List, or Philadelphia, or Ghost World as opposed
to reading a four sentence or even a two page summary.
You need to
read carefully and think about what you are reading. Visualize as much as
possible. As scenes are described, picture them in your mind. Visualize the
characters and their actions. If you do not know the pronunciation of a name,
pronounce it some way so that it sticks in your head. Pay attention to who is
saying what. If you lose track, back up and reread. It is not enough to pass
your eyes over material in order to say you read it. You need to comprehend it
and be able to think about what you read. What are the characters feeling? What
are their motivations? Does the setting (time and place) influence them? How
can you tell that they mean or don’t mean what they say? How do their actions
reveal their personalities and values? How are they influenced by their
cultures?
For some,
reading footnotes before context is helpful. Then you can glance down and
refresh your memory without losing track of what you are reading. Highlight or
underline important points. In the introductory material, pay special attention
to topic sentences that will indicate the topic for the coming paragraph.
You may want to
glance at the Final Study Guide and Terms List at the end of Class Notes before
you begin. All terms are in chronological order according to our reading and
defined in Class Notes or in your text, almost always in the introductory
material.
Ancient World
Read the
introductory material, giving special attention to how the Trojan War began,
how oral tradition evolved, why The Odyssey is valued and how Homeric
epithet and dactylic hexameter are used. There is an additional
example of dactylic hexameter on p. 971. These terms are two of a dozen or more
epic conventions, characteristics that we generally find in all Western epics.
Two others are in medeas res and invocation to a muse. The
first is a Latin term which means in the middle of the action which is where The
Odyssey and The Aeneid (which you read later) begin. The second term
means to call to a muse for inspiration as we find in the first line of The
Odyssey. Utopia is another term you need for The Odyssey as it
applies to Nausikaa’s home, Skheria.
The Odyssey
The Odyssey is
a great adventure about a man that we relate to because of his emotions and
complexity. It is preferable that you read the work out loud, and stop at the
end of a line only if punctuation indicates that you should. The poem begins with a summary of the action, followed by a confrontation
between Zeus and Athena, Odysseus’s champion. Following Athena’s presentation
of her plan, the focus switches to Telemachus and later, in Book V, to
Odysseus, captive of Kalypso. After Odysseus is rescued in Book 6, he is
pampered, as befitted Greek hospitality, and then invited to tell his story. At
this point a flashback occurs that begins ten years earlier as Odysseus sets
sail from Troy after its collapse. Chapters 9-12 are referred to as The
Wanderings. The flashback ends and Odysseus prepares to continue home from
Skheria. At home he prepares to settle some old scores. (Do not watch the
recent movie Troy as it is blatantly inaccurate.)
Keep straight
the main characters and minor characters important to the action. Make notes,
family trees, etc. For example, you need to know who Hermes and Nausikaa are.
Note the customs of the Greeks, the complexity of feeling in Odysseus, and the
reasons why he is known as cunning. Be aware that The Odyssey is also a rite
de passage, or coming of age story because of Odysseus’s son,
Telemachus.
Below are the
names of some of the major gods and goddesses in Greek and Roman mythology.
Some are important in The Odyssey and The Aeneid. (You do not
need to commit them to memory.)
The Twelve Great Olympians*
The Greek name is given first,
followed by the Roman name.
1. Zeus (Jupiter)
2. Hera (Juno)
3. Poseidon (Neptune)
4. Demeter (Ceres)
5. Apollo (Apollo)
6. Artemis (Diana)
7. Hephaestus (Vulcan)
8. Pallas Athena (Minerva)
9. Ares (Mars)
1O. Aphrodite (Venus)
11. Hermes (Mercury)
12. Flestia (Vesta)
13. Pluto or Hades (Orcas or Dis)
*from Zimmerman, J.E. Dictionary
of Classical Mythology. New York: Harper and Row, 1980.
The Odyssey
After you have read the first assignment in The Odyssey,
take the following quiz to see how you are doing.
Opportunity I- The Odyssey
1. Did Troy ever exist?
2. Identify the following by placing the correct letters in the
blanks.
3.___Ikarios
A. Athena in disguise
4.___Athena
B. chief suitor
5.___Penelope
C. Odysseus's father
6.___Telemachus D.
chief among the gods
7.___Zeus
E. Odysseus's son
8.___Laertes
F. Odysseus’s wife
9.___Antinoos
G. goddess helping Odysseus
10.___Mentes
H. Penelope's father
1 1. Athena acknowledges that
Odysseus is needed at home
because
12.Why does Penelope ask the
minstrel to stop singing?
13.How has Telemachus’s mother
stalled the suitors?
14. Telemachus is/ is not
experienced in fighting.
15. The Odyssey is/is not
a poem.
16. The Odyssey was/ was
not sung originally.
17. Penelope's role was/was not
typical for women of the time.
Answers:
1. Troy existed.
3.H.
4.g
5. F.
6.E.
7.d.
8.C
9.b.
10a.
11.the suitors are stealing his
house and property and trying to marry her off.
12.her heart is breaking
13.She weaves a shroud all day
and unravels it at night.
14.Telemachus is inexperienced
15. The Odyssey is an epic poem.
16. It was a part of the oral
tradition and sung, not written.
17. Like the characters of most
of our fiction, she was atypical. Women were property with few rights, no
voice, and they were kept in seclusion. Even the Romans were shocked at the
Greeks treatment of women, although they were not much better.
Oedipus
Read the
introduction to Sophocles and pay special attention to why Sophocles is so
highly esteemed and how his attributes are demonstrated in Oedipus the King
(Oedipus Rex). Note the importance and function of the chorus which we
still see in plays today, such as The Beggar’s Opera, Mother Courage
and Her Children, or the one man chorus in Our Town and The Glass
Menagerie. In the play, pay special attention to the examples of dramatic
irony, to motifs, and to hubris (also hybris). Motifs
are words, phrases, objects, etc. repeated throughout a work for effect, as in
music, art, literature, etc. A motif in music (and literature) might be a
repeated phrase that supports the theme; it would be Vermeer’s open windows or
Chagall’s flying horses in art, the girl in red in Schindler’s List or
the repetition of cupolas in architecture. One example, out of several, in Oedipus
is the motif of light and dark which relates to the theme.
Hubris is
the excessive pride that one might have that would cause him to feel equal to
or above the gods. This attitude was especially heinous to the Greeks and it is
the downfall of Oedipus, a great man who had everything we value in life. He is
a hero, well-respected in a position of power and capable doing good. He is
surrounded by loving, devoted family, friends, and subjects. Lastly, consider
the role of fate in this tragedy. Today many people do not believe in fate, but
the Greeks did and that belief affected the way they received the play, just as
it affects the outcome of the play. Was there any way out for Oedipus?
The Aeneid
Read this
introduction carefully because the historical background is particularly
relevant to The Aeneid since it is a tribute to Caesar Augustus. (Virgil
supposedly recited it from memory in entirety to him which I can believe
considering the amount of work it would be to write all those dactylic
hexameters and still say exactly what you wanted to say.)
This epic poem
differs in that it focuses on the consequences of war, particularly the
consequences of losing a war and being displaced as a result. Virgil patterned
his poem after Homer and uses aspects of The Iliad and The Odyssey.
The first book
begins with a summary and presents the invocation to a muse in line 11. Venus,
Aeneas’s mother and champion is opposed by Juno, sister to Neptune (Poseidon)
who supported the Greeks in the war. Another summary occurs in lines 208-235,
as Aeneas begins in reference to his wanderings as he has landed in Libya (Carthage),
the home of Dido who fled her brother, Pygmalion, who tried to kill her and did
kill her husband. There are moving accounts of the end of the war at the end of
Book I that some of you may want to read. Begin with line 458. Book Two, as the
heading indicates, continues with the fall of Troy. Just as in The Odyssey,
Aeneas has been afforded all hospitality and settles in to tell his story to
Queen Dido and the others assembled in the hall. The flashback begins with the
fall of Troy and continues through the wanderings (Book Three). What are
Aeneas’s feelings as he recounts his tale? With Book Four the retelling is
completed, and we are back in the present. Dido is victim to the unlikely
alliance of Venus and Juno and so one of the most famous love stories in
literature follows. Why do Venus and Juno work together? What role does fate
play? What alternative actions are considered by Dido before she comes to a
decision. What role does her sister play? Is Aeneas at fault?
The Metamorphosis
Read in the
introduction about Ovid’s life and how the times differed from Virgil’s
affecting Ovid’s work. Pay special attention to the fifth paragraph beginning
“Besides The Art of Love” and the last four paragraphs. See which of
your four epic conventions show up in the section that you are assigned.
Sappho’s Poems
In the
introduction pay special attention to what a Sapphic is. Since Sappho’s
poems are also lyrics, you want to know that definition. The name came from the
lyre (mandolin-type instrument) that singers used to accompany their poetry and
came to mean a poem that is brief, melodic, and subjective. Some song lyrics
today fit the definition and some don’t. Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” or, if you know
it, Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” are excellent examples of lyrics that fit the
classic definition. A Sapphic is a kind of lyric poem. Sappho lived on the isle
of Lesbos, from which we get the term, “Lesbian.” Originally, anyone living on
Lesbos was a Lesbian, just as many of us are Austinites. Sappho taught women
and thus made herself a target of derision and she is in fact often a character
in the comedies of the time, shown as a caricature and derided. She was married
and had a child. Although homosexuality was accepted at the time, denouncing
Sappho as a lover of women was a strong condemnation. Regardless of what her
sexual preferences were, poets throughout time have adopted different voices in
poetry. If I want I can write a poem as if I am an old man or a little boy.
Sappho is our first extant Western lyric poet, and she captures feelings
exquisitely.
Poem 34
This is one of
Sappho’s ambiguous poems. Ambiguity is a characteristic of poetry: having more
than one meaning. This is where interpretation comes in and it’s what keeps
literature alive. We still discuss the insanity of Hamlet and the motivation of
Iago because the plays are ambiguous, not something you want in referential or
technical writing, but something that you do want in literature (and art)
because it draws the reader in and keeps the work alive. First you may need to
look up lament and maidenhead. Then you can consider the two
voices, each presenting a different ending to similes comparing maidenhead.
Visualize the two scenes and decide what statements the speaker is making.
Poem 38
Some of
Sappho’s poems had to be pieced together, but this one and 39 are originals.
This poem is a prayer to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. What does the speaker
ask for, why, and is this the first time? Which words convey the intensity of
pain? What kind of pain is expressed?
Poem 39
Do you hear
the intensity of the passion in the poem as the speaker witnesses someone else
close to the one she/he wants to be close to? Remember that you won’t see the
pattern of the Sapphic because these poems are in translation.
Poem 41
Others are
caught up in the parade of troops and the idea of patriotism, but the speaker
feels that” the finest sight on dark earth” is the person you love. Why does
she choose dark as her adjective? What classical allusion does she use
as support for her argument?
Middle Ages (Medieval Period)
Read the introduction giving special
attention to the discussion of medieval and modern, romance, drama,
and courtly love. A definition that I like for courtly love is love as
religion which works well because courtly love had rituals, was obsessive to
some degree, placed the lovee (an archaic term) on a pedestal,
often replaced religion, and borrowed religious terms for its expression. Our contemporary
beliefs about falling in love, the pain of love, protestations of not being
able to live without (romantic) love, the impractical, romantic view that we
hold come directly from Elinor of Aquitane’s Court of Love where for the
amusement of the royal court, she sat as judge in cases of love.
Chivalry grew out of the courtly love, and
religion joined astrology as an important influence on daily life.
Courtly Love
Elinor
of Aquitane- 1175
Couples
began to gather with her sons and daughters for summer games and her court
became the meeting place for couples. The concept for courtly love developed
and then Copellanis wrote the Book of Courtly Love which included more
than thirty rules. Following are a few examples (condensed):
1. True love cannot take place between a husband
and a wife.
2. An affair must be absolutely secret, unless a
messenger is needed.
3. The lover must obey the beloved's (lovee's)
every wish though it may cost him his life.
4. The lover must send gifts as a sign of love,
the more expensive the stron-er the love. Jewelry is preferred.
5. The lover must protect the lovee's reputation
at the cost of his life, if necessary.
6. The lover must show symptoms of love, as
follows:
1.
fainting
2.
weeping
3.
nausea
4. staying indoors all day, refusing to see
anyone (photo phobia)
5. developing a palor
6. yearning constantly for the love of the lady
Courtly
love was practiced by the upper classes. Courtly love was fine amour, refined
love.
It
may have been derived from the worship of the Virgin Mary. It may also indicate
a reaction against the Church and a Moslem influence in that women were made
figures of mystery. Women were placed on a pedestal but at the same time were
thought to be suspect and vile, particularly among the lower classes.
Courtly
love led to the code of chivalry practiced by the knights.
Lovers
presented disputes to Elinor and others in her court, and rulings were handed
done. (What should a lover do if commanded to stop loving?)
The
court lasted two hundred years.
Chivalry
At
puberty a young man became a squire. He aided a knight, as his apprentice. At
sixteen, he received his first suit of armor. The night before he was dubbed a
knight, he fasted and prayed in the chapel. In the morning after confession and
communion he would be dubbed Sir ____. Knighthood flourished from the
mid-twelfth to the fourteenth centuries. Knights mounted for war in full armor.
If they fell off in battle they might starve to death since the weight of the
armor kept them from getting up on their own. Armor was put on starting at the
feet upward since it all overlapped. They generally attempted to cut off heads
since necks were vulnerable. Prisoners were taken for ransom.
The
Church didn't try to wipe out courtly love but refocused the quest from the
beloved to the Holy Grail (the golden cup from The Last Supper).
Ironically,
in a time of strict hierarchy, knights pledged to rescue any damsel in
distress, regardless of class.
Astrology
The chart below includes in the following order the name of the sign, its
symbol, its mythological origin, and the approximate date the sun enters the
sign. This chart is just for enrichment.
1.
Aries Ram Golden-fleeced ram March
21
2.
Taurus Bull Europa's mount April 20
3.
Gemini Twins Castor and Pollux May 21
4.
Cancer Crab tormentor June 21
5.
Leo Lion Nemean Lion
July 23
6.
Virgo Virgin Astraca
August 23
7.
Libra Balances Astraea's scales September 23
8.
Scorpio Scorpion Orion's torturer
October 24
9.
Sagittarius Archer Chiron November 22
10
Capricornus Goat Amalthea
December 22
11.
Aquarius Waterbearer Ganymede
January 20
12.
Pisces Fisli Disguises
of Aphro- February 19
dite
and Eros
from
Zinimennan, J. E. Dictionary of Classical Mythology. New
York: Harper and Row, 1980.
Marie de France’s Lais
Read the
introduction paying special attention to the explanation of lai and
desmesure. Brittany is a peninsula region of Northwest France settled by
Romans then Celtic Britons fleeing the Anglo-Saxons. In both tales, consider
the use of verisimilitude. This device helps the writer present the work
as true which was particularly important in a time when the Church taught that
reading fiction was sinful. Authors use actual people, places, and things
toward this end, but also realistic character and setting detail and realistic
dialogue. Remember how Chaucer, in The Canterbury Tales, uses London and
Canterbury, a pilgrimage that actually took place yearly, a real inn in a real
place, authentic description of clothing and occupations and realistic
dialogue, for a start. What examples of verisimilitude do you find in the two
lais? Sometimes writers would also simply assure the reader that what they were
reading was true. (We’re too sophisticated for that now.) Examine both for
desmesure.
In “Bisclavret”
consider how the expectations of civilization is a motif in a lai about an
animal and humans. Where are the ironies? Where are elements of courtly love?
Of the supernatural? Of Christian influence?
In “Yonec”
consider irony, courtly love, supernatural, and Christian influence. Also, be
aware of the inclusa (the custom of keeping women in forced isolation),
as found in “Rapunzel” and “Sleeping Beauty”).
1001 Nights
Read the
introduction taking note of the term nesting and examine how it is used
in this famous work set in Persia, Iran today. Examine the values expressed
through the tale. Look for irony and verisimilitude. What device holds the
stories together as a unified whole, rather than a collection of separate
stories? This is the framing device.
Pizan; from The Book of the City of the Ladies
Pizan is
considered the first professional writer in Europe. She was born in Italy, but
is considered French. In the introduction pay special attention to the Debate
of “The Romance of the Rose.” It may help you to realize that Pizan was a
contemporary of Joan of Arc. She is also the first writer of psychological
realism, not visited again significantly until Charlotte Bronte writes Jane
Eyre. She considers how the mind is affected and how that affects the
whole. Examine this aspect of her writing. Note in the introduction that Pizan
uses the medieval device of the dream-vision. Her work is also
allegorical. Allegory is a kind of symbolism where the author clearly indicates
what the symbols represent. In “Book,” the three women and what they
carry are symbols, but Pizan tells us what they symbolize, thus the allegorical
aspect. Focus on this part of the narrative. The “Book” as a whole is a
metaphor. Examine that aspect, too. This work also has an inclusa; look
for it. Pizan develops her work through the use of example (an exemplum).
Pay attention to Sappho as an example. The prayer at the ending was customary
and the trials of St. Catherine might seem hyperbolic to us today, but they
were immediately accepted by Pizan’s audience. This work, in the time of Joan
of Arc, shows a need to turn away from writings denigrating women to consider
their potential and future.
Renaissance
Read the
introduction paying special attention to the discussion of humanism with its
emphasis on man as the center of the universe, optimism, reason, and free will.
Petrarch
Read the
introduction, particularly noting sonnet sequence, Laura, and Petrarchism:
stock images, antithesis, oxymoron, and hyperbole.
Petrarch’s
poems were wildly popular and also highly influential among poets. They spread
the concept of courtly love, and the Petrarchan sonnet became the model for
poetry. Later, the term Italian sonnet was used as more inclusive. A Petrarchan
sonnet differs from a Shakespearean, or English sonnet in that it is made up of
an octave (two quatrains) and a sestet (two tercets) with an abba abba cde cde
rhyme scheme. Examine the sonnets for form.
additional terms for reading Petrarch
conceit-a figure of speech which establishes a parallel
between strikingly dissimilar things or situations
Petrarchan conceit-detailed, ingenious, exaggerated
comparisons relating to courtly love
metaphysical conceit-finding commonalities between
radically different things to create a startling comparison, such as in
Petrarch, Donne, and T.S. Eliot’s line,”the evening...like a patient etherized
upon a table,” and Cole Porter’s “You’re the cream in my coffee.”
Look at the
number of the poem and the status of Petrarch’s love. Poem I might have
been written last. He expresses his dismay at what he lost in pursuing romantic
love. Note the religious term in line 13. What is he asking from the world?
In poem III,
he tells of the day he meets Laura. What is ironic about the day and place?
Note the classical allusion. What “error” has Cupid made?
In XC.
we have opening lines that are hyperbole and a poem filled with antithesis.
(Literally, “tinder” refers to the little bits and pieces that would be carried
to start a fire; gentlemen carried tinder on them in small containers). Such
feeling in this poem! Such frustration. Note the allusion to Cupid, again.
In CXXXIV,
we have another poem filled with antithesis to underscore the desperation that
comes with loving but being unloved in return. (As one of my students noted,
“Been there, done that.”)
In CCLXV,
Laura is compared to the solid stone that water wears down, just as he hopes
his tears will wear her down. He clings to hope. Note the stock images,
hyperbole, and antithesis.
In CCXCII,
he gives up. Note the figurative meaning of the last two lines.
In CCCLXV,
Petrarch addresses God, not Laura.
Boccaccio’s The Decameron
In the
introduction, pay special attention to social realism, representing
classes other than nobility as was traditional, and the framing device.
Examine the
framing device as you read “The First Day” and also look for elements of
verisimilitude and courtly love, aspects of religion and paganism, and
attitudes about women.
“Fifth Day, Tenth Tale”
Look for
examples of verisimilitude, social realism, and fiction elements.
Cervantes’ Don Quixote
Read the
introduction paying special attention to the social classes, realities versus
dreams or illusions, and themes. Consider the quest and the chivalric aspects
of the novel. Look for verisimilitude and courtly love.
The novel has
two books but only the first is excerpted in the text. You may certainly read
both, if you wish. Why is this probably the best known novel in the world? Why
do people who haven’t even read it, respond to the windmill scene? Is Don
Quixote the necessary dreamer, idealist, romantic needed to survive in a harsh
world? Is he exposing the inequalities of a class system? Is he demonstrating
how we are changed by and change those we love? Is he chastising the Church for
its role in human suffering? Is he playing out the dilemma of artists or
individuals in society? Is he exposing the Spain of the time to the world? Or
all of the above? He seems to be a buffoon, but the novel turns out to be
complex and ambiguous.
Look at quixotic,
a word we gained from this novel. Also, know that this is a picaresque
novel, like Tom Jones and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It
is held together, unified, by the adventures of the main character, the picaro,
or rogue.
Annotated Work Cited
In an annotated
work cited, each entry is followed by a sentence that states how you used the
source. For example, see an entry ending as follows: New York: Harper and Row,
1998. This book contains useful definitions and examples of types of satire in Don
Quixote.
The annotated
part, the final complete sentence, is the “note” about how you used this source
in your paper. Each entry will be annotated.
Carpe Diem Poems
Read the introduction to the Renaissance Lyric
Poems paying special attention to the discussion of Petrarch and the last three
paragraphs. Carpe diem means seize the day in the sense of making the
most of your time. However, in the “carpe diem” poems you are reading, seizing
the day has more to do with seizing a woman’s virtue because that was making
the most of time to the men writing the poems. The Garcilaso poem has a gentle,
romantic tone as compared to the Pierre de Ronsard poems, but they vary, too.
“Verses Against” by Sor Juana is a rebuttal on behalf of women challenging the
“damned if you do, damned if you don’t” mentality. Look at the forms of the
poems, the tone, and the word choices that support the tone.
Renaissance Poems
San Juan de la
Cruz’s poetry is still in print today, quite a tribute. His poem uses terms
from courtly love to express religious fervor. A second reading should reveal
to you that he is not meeting a lover, but embracing his faith. See how less
formal the poem is in format to earlier ones.
“I Know Full
Well” is another religious poem with metaphors that examine the origin of the
Holy Spirit. What does the refrain, “Though it be dark” mean? This poem is less
formal also.
Luis de
Gongora’s poem is an English sonnet, very formal. It has complex syntax and
contains an important Biblical allusion. It is an ambiguous poem because
although we have the rose metaphor throughout, the other half of the metaphor
is subject to interpretation. What do you think?
Lope de Vega
was a playwright, too, who wanted to put what was modern rather than classical
on stage. His poems look modern on the page. In “Ice and Fires” he defines both
terms, but contend changes to content, and we have the refrain.
Who is the speaker? What is the situation?
Sor Juana was a
Renaissance woman: poet, musician, composer, painter. She was a self-educated
genius, denied education, who the clergy sought to put away or force to marry.
Refusing to marry, she was sent to a convent. “On her Portrait” reveals her
artistic background as she comments on reality versus illusion. “This Evening”
paints a poignant and universal scene as the speaker tries to prove her
innocence when confronted by jealousy.
Study Guide for Ancient World exam and Final
The Ancient World exam covers the Ancient World and the final covers the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Part of the test is over specifically learned ideas, but part of the test requires that you demonstrate mastery in the content area by responding to questions requiring thought. The test is drawn, primarily, from Class Notes.
The test is predominantly objective, perhaps seventy-five
per cent so. Also, this guide sheet may not include every item, but will cover
ninety-five per cent or more of the test.
The test is presented in sections, as follows:
Supply the correctly spelled
author’s name, whether the work is Greek, Roman, French, etc. and the
chronological order of the works studied, (as we read them and as they are
presented in your text);
Identify characters in a matching section. These are
significant and/or contributing characters;
Identify themes in
a matching section;
Identify terms in a
matching section. A terms list follows;
Respond to a short-answer section about content;
Comment on the use of myth in the works;
Outline an important book from either The Odyssey
or The Aeneid. (I will identify the book by content, not only by number;
and
Respond to from two to four short discussion questions in
which you may demonstrate your understanding of content and ability to use
terms.
The
following topics may also be included:
Structure
of a Petrarchan sonnet
framing
device of The Decameron and 1001 Nights
Middle
Ages -stages of rebirth of drama, courtly love
Renaissance
-humanism
courtly love
Several
definitions are called for, and several questions require examples. Do not
depend on your memory: study!
You
will be asked not only to produce learned responses, but to think about the
works and make analytical or evaluative statements.
For
example, you might be asked to give an example of desmesure in “One
Dismal Night,” although you learned about desmesure in relation to the
lais. (This specific item is not on the test.)
Know why the works and authors we read are considered
important. (Refer to notes and/or introductory materials.)
You will not be tested over biographical information other
than time period and nationality/country. (Petrarch’s life is revealed through
his poetry).
Be able to make
some comparisons between The Aeneid and The Odyssey.
Strategy
1.Read any assignment that you have not read.
2.Review for plot and characters.
3.Review notes and text for terms and themes.
4.Review introductory sections.
5. Use Class Notes to prepare for the test.
Run material through your head, not just past your eyes.
Studying with someone is very helpful for most students.
Terms
List-as they appear in Class Notes
1.
rite de passage/coming of age
2.
utopia
3.
hubris/hybris
4.
dramatic irony
5.
motif
6.
in medeas res
7.
dactylic hexameter
8.
Homeric epithet
9.
invocation to a muse
10.
Sapphic
11.
lyric poem
12.
medieval
13.
modern
14.
courtly love
15.
lai
16.
desmesure
17.
inclusa
18.
verisimilitude
19.
nesting
20.
framing device
21.
dream-vision
22.
allegory
23.
psychological realism
24.
inclusa
25.
exemplum
26.
humanism
27.
sonnet sequence
28.
stock image
29.
antithesis
30.
oxymoron
31.
hyperbole
32.
Petrarchan/Italian sonnet
33.
social realism
34.
picaresque novel
35.
carpe diem
36.
myth-in the syllabus