This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
Whether cruel or funny, hostile speech has a pervasive presence in the wealth of textual evidence from classical antiquity. Insulting communications, both formal and informal, reveal social values in an unusually succinct way, while their dependence on situation and context presents complex interpretative challenges.
In this module, insults form the basis for a wide-ranging investigation of classical literature inviting comparison of their literary treatment in different works and/or genres. The module is designed to accommodate various selections of material, which may include Greek literature, Roman literature, or a combination of both. It provides a variety of examples of invective to show the diversity of classical literature and, through the analysis of these examples, raise current debates in classical literary studies. So, for example, the insults found in Catullus may be used to explore the issue of authorial persona and 'sincerity'. Topics covered may include obscenity, debate and competition, laws governing slander and treason, the aesthetics of beauty and ugliness, construction of social categorisations (gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and status), and the conventions of specific genres.
Total Contact Hours: 20
Total Private Study Hours: 130
Total Study Hours: 150
Main Assessment Methods:
Critical Summary (1,200 words) – 40%
Essay (2,500 words) – 60%
Reassessment methods:
100% Coursework (1,500 words)
Indicative Reading List:
Aloni, A., Barchiesi, A., & Cavarzere, A. (2002). Iambic Ideas: Essays on a Poetic Tradition from Archaic Greece to the Late Roman Empire. Lanham, Md, Rowman & Littlefield.
Bremmer, J. N., (2000). 'Verbal Insulting in Ancient Greek Culture', Acta Antiqua Hungarica 40.
Conley, T., (2010). Toward a Rhetoric of Insult. Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Press.
Corbeill, Anthony, (1997). ‘Dining Deviants in Roman Political Invective’ in J. P. Hallett & Marilyn B. Skinner (eds.), Roman sexualities. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press.
Corbeill, Anthony, (1996). Controlling Laughter: Political Humor in the Late Roman Republic. Princeton: Princeton University Press
Richlin, Amy, (1984). ‘Invective against Women in Roman Satire’, Arethusa 17.
Worman, Nancy, (2014). ‘Oedipus Abuser: Insult and Embodied Aesthetics in Sophocles’, Cahiers "Mondes Anciens" 5.
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Show a broad understanding of the importance of invective and other forms of confrontational speech in classical culture;
2 Critically evaluate the role of insults in a range of written sources from antiquity;
3 Employ academic skills fundamental to their future learning – including the evaluation of ancient evidence, modern representations, and the evaluation of modern scholarship;
4 Locate the ancient material studied in the context of European intellectual, cultural and historical traditions;
5 Understand the opportunities and challenges involved in using literary sources as documents of ancient societies;
6 Show increased ability in thinking critically and communicating about invective and related forms of communication in classical literature;
7 Recognise that debates often arise in academic scholarship, and be able to take an individual standpoint.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Apply the skills needed for academic study and enquiry, through guided discussion and independent study within a structured and managed environment;
2 Select, gather and synthesise relevant information to gain a coherent understanding, be involved in problem-solving, and reach conclusions independently;
3 Extract key elements from complex data, select appropriate methodologies and show awareness of the consequences of the unavailability of evidence;
4 Marshal argument lucidly and communicate ideas using the appropriate academic conventions;
5 Show ability in problem-solving, taking responsibility for their own learning, use of IT resources, and working on a task collaboratively.
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