Latin Literature (Ordinario)

Course topic

The De rerum natura represents a decisive turning point in the cultural history of Rome and in the landscape of poetic production in Latin. By interpreting and transforming Epicurus' philosophical teachings in an original way, Lucretius offers a radical alternative to the philosophical and religious foundations of social life, the conception of the state and tof he cosmos of republican Rome; at the same time, he demonstrates the expressive potential of a didactic poem in hexameters that significantly broadens the boundaries of the genre. The course, divided into two complementary modules, will address the most innovative aspects of the poem, also in the light of the most recent critical reflection.

Structure and Calendar

The course lectures will begin, unless otherwise announced, on Wednesday 5 November 2025.

The first module (20 hours) will be completed by the end of February 2025. The second module, mainly devoted to the discussion of seminar papers, will be held after the examination of the internal research papers (‘colloqui’) , normally scheduled in the second half of April.

A detailed programme of the texts and bibliography covered in each class, which will have to prepared in advance, will be made available before the beginning of the course.

Participation in class discussion is strongly encouraged.

Supplementary teaching

The course includes two distinct sections of supplementary teaching:

1) the first, Propedeutica, is an introductory course aimed particularly at first year students, and is shared with the following subjects: Greek Philology (Prof. Beghini), Latin Philology (Prof. Berti) and Greek Literature (Prof. Battezzato). Its purpose is to prepare for attendance of the relevant courses by offering elements of philology, linguistics and metrics, and indications on the main research tools and methods in the field. This module will begin in the first week of October 2025 and will end in early November.

The course will be taught in Italian. Visiting students are warmly encouraged to attend.

2) the second section, held in the second part of the academic year, is specifically intended for this course, and will tutor students in the preparation of the seminar presentation.