Brilliant Minds

Selections for Sappho

Of the poems of Sappho, these are not to be missed, and we will discuss them, among others, in class. The reference numbers are first to the page number in the Barnstone translation (Shambhala edition) followed by the tradtional fragment number:

"Prayer to Afroditi" p 3/f 1

"The Virgin" p 18/f 105a, c

"Seizure" p 43/f 31

"Alone" p 44/f 168b

"Supreme Sight on the Black Earth" p 46/f 16

"Sweetbitter" p 58/f 130

"No Oblivion" p 109/f 95

Iliad selections for discussion (Part 2)

Following is Part 2 of a list of passages from the selected Book for focused discussion (Line numbers referring to the Fagles translation):

Book 16

• Patroclus, 32-78, 951-1000

Book 18

• The Shield of Achilles, 558-709

Book 21

• Xanthus, 350-58, 418-27

Book 22

• Hector, 418-59

Book 24

• Priam & Achilles, 570-788

Iliad selections for discussion (Part 1)

Of the Books which I've recommended you focus your reading on, here are specific selections I plan to address in class. Numbers refer to the line numbers in the Falges translation.

Book 1:

• Invocation, 1-8
• Achilles & Athena, 222-50
• Thetis & Zeus, 590-635
• Hephaestus, 685-723

Book 2:

• Odysseus & Thersites, 245-90
• Reinvocation to catalogue of ships, 573-83

Book 3:

• Old men of Troy, 175-95
• Helen & Priam, 195-219
• Athena, Helen & Paris, 455-530

Book 6:

• Glaucus & Diomedes, 253-82
• Hector & Andromache, 452-600

Book 9

• Achilles' rejection, 454-505

More selections to follow ...

Iliad Selections

Soon we'll begin our discussion of Homer's Iliad. Key readings include:

• Books 1-3, 6, 9, 16, 18, 22-24.

If you're interested in what the original may have sounded like (since the Iliad was composed to be sung in performance), try this website: Homeric Singing.

Elizabeth Bowen Stories

Some of you have asked me which stories of Elizabeth Bowen to read for our upcoming discussion. The stories to concentrate on are:

"Summer Night"

"Her Table Spread"

"The Demon Lover"

"The Happy Autumn Fields"

"A Day in the Dark"

"Tears, Idle Tears"

Enjoy your reading and Happy Holidays to all celebrating this week & weekend.

Selections for Millay

Selections for our discussion of the poetry of Edna St Vincent Millay:

• "Renascence"
• "If I should learn, in some quite casual way"
• "The Bean-Stalk"
• "Mariposa"
• "Prayer to Persephone"
• "Dirge"
• "We talk of taxes, and I call you friend"
• "Into the golden vessel of great song"
• "Not with libations, but with shouts and laughter"
• "When I too long have looked upon your face"
• "Wild Swans"
• "I know I am but summer to your heart"
• "What my lips have kissed, and where, and why"

Selections for Njal's Saga

Focus your readings for our discussion of Njal's Saga on the following selections, with special attention to the key chapters which are marked by an asterisk:

Chapters:  1-8, 18, 19-20, 21-24, 33-34*, 48, 55, 75-77*, 84, 92, 98-106, 116*, 123, 127, 129-132, 141-45, 158-59.

Lucretius Selections

Reading selections for Lucretius, On the Nature of the Universe (De rerum natura) listed by Book and Line Numbers. Other translations of the title include  On the Nature of Things or The Way Things Are. These are all the same book.

Book 1 

1–43; 50–61; 62–101; 102–116, 146–48; 149– 73; 215–29, 232–36; 250–64; 265–84, 295–97; 298–321; 329–45; 358–69, 400–09; 419–28, 430–32, 485–88, 498–502, 528–30; 565–76; 921–50; 958–59, 963–83; 1021–37. 

Book 2 

1– 33; 37–42, 44–61; 95–99, 114–22, 142–52, 157–59, 161–64; 216–24, 251–68, 289–93; 308–10, 312–32; 333–35, 338–70; 523–27, 532–40; 646–60; 991–1009, 1013–19, 1021–22; 1023–47; 1052–65, 1074–76; 1090–1104; 1150–52, 1157–74. 

Book 3 

1–30; 37–64; 94–97, 136–44, 152–60; 323–49, 830–42; 894–903, 912–30; 931–65; 978–1023.

Book 4 

1058–64, 1089–110l 1120–22, 1129–40, 1144–59, 1177–79; 1278–1287. 

Book 5

1–2, 6–27, 37–51; 64–77; 195– 234; 235–46; 432–48; 925–34, 937–47, 953–61, 966–72; 1011–23; 1028–29, 1041–45, 1050– 51, 1056–61; 1161–68, 1183–89, 1194–1203; 1392–1404, 1412–35; 1448–1457.

Book 6 

58– 78; 1090–97, 1138–44, 1256–58, 1267–86.

Selections from Hildegard

We will concentrate our discussions on the following sections:

1. Letter to Bernard of Clairvaux

5. The Trinity

13. The First Version of the Play of the Virtues

20. The Cosmic Egg

21. The Cosmos

23. Songs from Symphonia

25. The Iron Mountain

27. The Seven Vices and Virtues

31. A Vision of Love

A recording of songs from Symphonia:

Aristotle Selections

Happy New Year!

For those who wish to get a head start on reading Aristotle, we will focus on the Ethics, Politics, Rhetoric, and Poetics. Below are my suggested selections from those sections, referenced by Book and Chapter numbers which should work with any edition:

(Nichomachean) Ethics
i, 1-10, 13
ii, 1-7
iii, 1-7
v, 1-2, 7, 10
vi, 1-3, 5-8, 12-13
vii, 1-3
viii, 1-3, 9
ix, 4, 7-9, 12
x, 4-9

Politics
i, 1-6
ii, 1, 2, 3-5
iii, 1, 4, 6-12
iv, 1, 3, 11
v, 1, 8, 9
vii, 1-3, 8-9, 13, 15

Rhetoric
i, 1-2, 5-6, 13
ii, 1, 4, 22

Poetics
4, 6-11, 13-15

I also recommend Aristotle in Outline by Timothy A. Robinson (Hackett 1995) for a concise, yet thorough overview of Aristotle's work.