Week 10: Making sense of strange elements

In Carmen 11, Catullus takes the reader on a catalogued tour of regions around Rome. For us, they are mostly strange, unknown places, and we need the help of commentators to begin to make sense of them. And then, suddenly, two-thirds of the way through the poem, Catullus has a message for his "girl", Lesbia. It's not a pretty message. The relationship is clearly over. Latin scholars admit that this is a "problematic" poem to interpret and has been for the history of interpretation.

What does this catalogued tour of places have to do with his message for Lesbia? Come up with at least two different "theories" for how an intelligent reader might make sense of these seemingly disparate parts. Label your theories A and B, and state each in two sentences or less. Think long on this, and write short!

Weeks 8-9: Patterns of Writing

We will keep this topic open for two weeks. I ask that you each attempt to respond to my question below, AND, in the second week, that you make a response to one other student's post. You will receive two different grades, based on your own response, and on your response to another student. By doing this, we are extending our conversation with each other about Catullus' works beyond the classroom. Make your first post without reading others' posts. Then, of course, read all of the posts before making your second. Your second may focus on one person's comments, or on those of several.

We have read several of Catullus' poems now, all about his relationship with Lesbia. What have you begun to notice about Catullus' writing style that seems to be "Catullan"? In other words, are there things that Catullus seems to like to do with words and patterns of words that, if you were to see the same in an unidentified poem, would make you think: Hmmm, this could be a poem of Catullus.

Identify any such patterns you see. Give the Latin and the poem number, and then talk about the effect these patterns seem to have on the message of the poem.

Magister Patricius

Week 7: The Effects of Langauge, or, How Language Affects Us

We had very rich, thoughtful discussion today about our recent set of poems: 3, 70, 8, 87 and 60. Thanks to all of you for making that happen.

One thing we can probably not look at enough is how it is that Catullus does what he does. In other words, how does he use Latin language to create certain effects, and how do those effects affect us when we read the Latin.

Choose one of the following and reflect on it, citing evidence in Latin (with translation).

A. How does Catullus create the effect of outrage in carmen 60? What effects of language does he use? Outrage should be the affect (how it makes us feel, or how he helps us see how he feels).

B. Consider how poem 87 echoes poem 8. What language (the effects) does he use in both? How does that language affect the reader, or set the reader up to see and feel Catullus' feelings?

Week 6: Lesbia Respondet--paene

Imagine Lesbia responding to Catullus' Carmen 70. And then, write a 4 line Latin poem as Lesbia's response to him and to that particular poem. Follow these guidelines.

1) Yes, in Latin.
2) 4 lines
3) Each line has 11 syllables (aiming for Hendecasyllable, but I am not requiring that your 11 syllable line conform entirely to the meter. If you can get the first three syllables to be long, that would be a start. The bottom line, though, is 11 syllables. Don't forget to make use of elision and word choices to make the syllables work.
4) These 4 lines are Lesbia's response to Catullus 70.
5) Most important part: have fun!

Week 5: Passer

We have now read two poems (carmina 2 and 3) where the Lesbia's sparrow is the focus. Compare and contrast these two poems. Take the sparrow at face value, and explain how Catullus uses the sparrow to do what he is doing in each poem. What is he doing in these two poems? Is he doing the same thing, or something different in each? Quote from the Latin text and justify your views. This need not be a lengthy response, but a well-documented with Latin text--response.

Week 4: Specialty Words

If you read enough of an author, you begin to notice subtle or not so subtle patterns in his/her writing. Those patterns might be thing like the clear, short, straightforward sentences of a Hemingway, or lengthy, complex sentences describing scenes in great detail like Mellville. The same is true for Latin authors and Latin poets in particular. We can notice patterns in meter, and we can notice patterns in themes (like poems about how much Catullus loves Lesbia). We can notice that certain Latin authors favor or repeat certain word order in their verses. And, we can notice specialty words. I am calling specialty words those words that show up often, or which seem to be the central word or words that give a particular poem its focus.

Consider the 6 poems that we have studied in the "Catullus Lesbiam Amat" theme (51, 5, 7, 86, 43 and 2) and identify what you think are the "specialty" words. And then, comment on how these words enable Catullus to talk about his love for Lesbia. How would these very same poems change if these specialty words were deleted.

Magister Patricius

Septimana Tertia: Ad formam et venustatem discernendum

Catullus noster scripsit Quintiam esse formosam, sed nullam venustatem habere (Carmen 86). Secundum Catullum in carminibus nostris (51, 5, 7, 86) quid est forma? Quid est venustas? Explica duobus vel tribus exemplis ex carminibus differentiam inter formam et venustatem. Quomodo Lesbia exemplum venustatis est?

Magister Patricius