The witch in Roman literature embodies the archetype of the "wicked witch": prowling graveyards at night; kidnapping children in shadowy back alleys; luring unsuspecting men through magical spells; mixing potions by the light of the moon; raising the dead to tell the future; transforming enemies into animals.
However, magic itself was a common practice in ancient Rome -- even emperors would seek out the aid of magic experts. Reading selections in the original Latin from Roman authors, this course will give an overview of how witches and magic are represented in ancient Roman literature. Students will read fictional tales of witches in works by Horace, Ovid, Seneca, Lucan, Petronius, and Apuleius, and will compare these to examples of real magical use in historiography, alongside actual curse tablets and Latin spells. Using postcolonial and feminist analysis, the course will explore the sociopolitical and cultural influences that lead result in the archetype of the "wicked witch" in Roman literature.
For Latin students at the high intermediate or advanced level.
This course fulfills the Literature and Performance track for the Classical Studies Major. |