Ancient text
important introductory note
In the following questions, wherever it is stipulated that at least 2 separate sources from
the course be used, this means that students must demonstrate knowledge of and engagement with
the entirety of each of those 2 texts. Do NOT just refer to a single passage from a text as this does
not demonstrate a thorough understanding of the full text. For instance, if you choose to use
Homer’s Odyssey and Ovid’s Amores as your texts, this means that you must engage with Books
22-24 of the Odyssey and Book 1 of the Amores and not simply a single passage from Book 23 of
the Odyssey and a single poem from Book 1 of the Amores.
Please also note that you may choose any of the texts used this semester except Book 1 of
St. Augustine’s Confessions; this text comes too late in the semester and is particularly unwieldy
to work with for our purposes. Please limit yourselves to Odyssey 22-24, Euripides’ Bacchae,
Longus’ Daphnis and Chloe, Ovid’s Amores Book 1, and Seneca’s On Clemency).
question
1. Using evidence from at least 2 separate sources from this course, discuss the role of gender and
sexuality in the ancient world and how this manifests itself in ancient literature. Questions you
may think about could include (but are not limited to) how do these portrayals differ or remain the
same from one text to another? What changes and what does not between literary genres? How do
issues of gender operate across social and class lines in ancient literature?
