Ancient Motifs 03-AP-AMO

Course learning content:
- preliminary remarks on the terminology: motifs, topoi, themes,
- universal themes from Homeric epic: heroic war and heroic journey,
- death and afterlife: topography of the unearthly realms, ghosts and the "living dead" motif,
- motif of a labirynth,
- "Animalia": ancient and modern bestiary,
- idyllic images in contemporary literature: ancient and modern Arcadia.

Module learning aims

Course aims: - to gain knowledge of origins and development of ancient motifs in the modern literature and culture, - to gain knowledge of the contemporary political, social and cultural meaning of the motifs and themes taken from antiquity, - to develop the ability of interpretation of the most important literary motifs referring to ancient culture, - to develop research skills in the field of diverse levels of intertextual and cultural relationships: motifs, themes, topoi, conventions, genres.

Methods of teaching for learning outcomes achievement

Lecture with a multimedia presentation, interactive lecture, discussions, sound and/or video demonstration.

Student workload (ECTS credits)

Module type

elective

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences

General familiarity with antiquity, basic familiarity with the terminology of history of arts and theory of literature.

Course coordinators

Term 2021/SZ:

Piotr Urbański

Term 2019/SZ:

Radosław Piętka

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
- describe the research problems and the recent achievements in the field covered by the lecture,
- define the role of the literary motifs drawn from antiquity in the modern cultural life,
- see and evaluate the rules and principles applied in the modern literary works referring to antiquity,
- see and evaluate the evolution of concepts, attitudes and emotions in the literary and artistic works against the background of their times,
- account for the contribution of ancient literature and culture into the formation and development of modern culture.

Assessment criteria

Grade system:

very good (bdb; 5,0): very good knowledge and understanding of the relationships between ancient and modern culture based on the specific literary motifs; ability to provide relevant examples; very high skill at critical reading and at evaluating the influence of ancient motifs on contemporary culture, as well as their role in individual works.

good plus (+db; 4,5): as above, except for minor inefficiencies and inaccuracies.

good (db; 4,0): good knowledge and understanding of the relationships between ancient and modern culture based on the specific literary motifs; ability to provide relevant examples; rather high skill at critical reading and at evaluating the influence of ancient motifs on contemporary culture, as well as their role in individual works.

satisfactory plus (+dst; 3,5): satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the relationships between ancient and modern culture based on the specific literary motifs; ability to provide relevant examples; satisfactory skill at critical reading and at evaluating the influence of ancient motifs on contemporary culture, as well as their role in individual works.

satisfactory (dst; 3,0): satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the relationships between ancient and modern culture based on the specific literary motifs; ability to provide some relevant examples; satisfactory skill at critical reading and at evaluating the influence of ancient motifs on contemporary culture, as well as their role in individual works.

unsatisfactory (ndst; 2,0): unsatisfactory knowledge and understanding of the relationships between ancient and modern culture based on the specific literary motifs; unsatisfactory skill at critical reading and at evaluating the influence of ancient motifs on contemporary culture, as well as their role in individual works.

Bibliography

Reading list:
Texts selected by the teaching staff (e.g. W.H. Matthews, Mazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development. London 1922; E.R. Curtius, European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages. Oxford 2013 [1953]; M. Beard, J. Henderson, Classics. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford 1997; S. Settis, The Future of the Classical. Cambridge-Malden 2006; Living Classics: Greece and Rome in Contemporary Poetry in English. Ed. S.J. Harrison. Oxford 2009; M. Beard, Confronting the Classics. Traditions, adventures and innovations. New York-London 2013; Antiquity in Popular Literature and Culture. Ed. K. Dominas, E. Wesołowska, B. Trocha. Cambridge 2016).

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 03-AP-AMO in USOSweb