| This course examines the relationship between local Mediterranean cultures and Greek poetry through an examination of a variety of works composed in different genres of literature between 323 and 100 BC. We shall focus on the manner in which unique local social customs, dialects, religions, and politics are treated in poetry written in various places of the Greek-speaking world, from Egypt to Italy. In this way we shall gain an appreciation of the multi-cultural nature of Hellenistic society, and of the impact it has upon subjects, themes, and styles of contemporary literature. Readings will include, but not be restricted to, the Argonautics of Apollonius of Rhodes, the Hymns of Callimachus, the Idylls of Theocritus, and the epigrams in the Greek Anthology. |