The Poetry of Catullus: a five week course

*PLEASE NOTE THE COURSE IS NOW FULLY BOOKED*

We are delighted to announce that Professor Armand D'Angour will be running another of his popular interactive alumni Zoom courses. Places are strictly limited so early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

ABOUT THE COURSE

"I hate and I love" (odi et amo): the opening of Catullus's famous epigram 85 sums up the vexed love affair of the Roman poet (c. 70-50 BC) with the flighty 'girl' (puella) he calls Lesbia, who features in around 15 of his 100-odd poems. The rest deal with a range of appealing and intriguing topics: his home on lovely Lake Garda, his engagement with Greek poetry and myth, and his cheeky personal interactions, not just with other poets but with political actors of his time such as Cicero and Julius Caesar. This five-part course will cover: 1) poems about poetry  2) the Lesbia poems  3)  invective (humorous insult) poems  4) poem 63, the strange tale of Attis, and 5) poem 64, the myth of Ariadne. Subjects discussed will include Catullus's literary and historical background, his poetic structures and techniques, and his often biting wit and humour.