Opuscula - LATN 399 - S22

Opuscula

Overview

There will be four mini-projects, known as opuscula (the Latin for mini-projects) that you will have the option of completing before our last class of the semester on May 5. These projects will ask you dive deeply into the different aspects of the Satyrica by doing some basic reading and research about the text and then completing an analysis or activity based on this reading. By doing these assignments, you will gain essential knowledge about key facets of the text and get the chance to explore themes in the text that you find personally interesting.

There are no specific due dates for particular opuscula, but they must be completed sequentially. In addition, you cannot submit them all at the same time; you must receive a satisfactory grade on the previous opuscula before turning in the next one. For instance, you were to turn in the first opusculum, you would have to wait until I gave it back to turn in the second one. You should take this into account into when you decide whether and when to work on the opuscula. In addition, it is worth noting that even though the assignments may seem pretty simple, they will require quite a bit of careful thought and thus cannot be rushed. Opuscula can either be shared with me as a GoogleDoc or handed in in person, if you prefer.

Opuscula are not required to pass this class. For how they factor into the class grading rubric, have a look at the specifications grading page.

Opusculum #1: Who wrote the Satyricon?

For this opusculum, you will delve into the numerous uncertainties surrounding the author of the text. As background for your analysis, please read Courtney’s chapter on the identity of the author of the Satyrica and Völker and Rohmann’s article on the same topic. You will begin by summarizing the evidence that has been used to identify the author of the work as Petronius, to date the work to the Neronian period, and to point a specific Petronius in age of Nero as the author of the work. You will then move to critique these arguments, pointing to the places where the evidence or argumentation is weak. You will conclude by offering your opinion on the authorship of the Satyrica and explaining the reasoning you used to come to that conclusion.

A satisfactory assignment will:

Be 600 – 700 words in length
Summarize the evidence used to identify the author of the Satyricon as having the nomen Petronius
Summarize the evidence used to date the work to the Neronian period
Summarize the various pieces of evidence used to point to a specific Petronius in the age of Nero
Critique these arguments by pointing to places where the evidenc or argumentation used is insufficient
Offer your point of view on the matter of the authorship of the Satyricon and explain how you came to that conclusion
Cite both ancient and modern sources in your argument

Opusculum #2: Sermo vulgaris

For this opusculum, please read Bret Boyce’s chapter on the ways in which Petronius represents non-elite speech in the Satyrica. Once you have read the chapter, have a look at the following four sentences below, all from the freedmen’s speeches in sections 41 - 46. In each sentence, the bolded word(s) represent what Boyce terms a “popular feature” of Petronius language. For each bolded word, your job is to identify which of Boyce’s “popular feature” it represents and explain how you know that. For example, if I gave you the sentence curabo domata sit Cassandra caligaria (74.14), you would say that domata sit represents a “change of conjugation” because the classical form of the verb has the principal parts domo, domare, domui, domitus. You would also note that it appears that the speaker has changed the fourth principal part to fit better with the fact that the first two principal parts indicate that it belongs to the first conjugation.

In order to complete this opuscula, it is important to work closely with the online Lewis & Short dictionary and the various commentaries made available to you as they will help you to determine what is unique about the word forms that appear below.

vix me balneus calfecit. tamen calda potio vestiarius est. staminatas duxi, et plane matus sum. vinus mihi in cerebrum abiit. (41.11-12)
et Titus noster magnum animum habet et est caldicerebrius: aut hoc aut illud, erit quid utique. nam illi domesticus sum, non est mixcix. (45.5)
videris mihi, Agamemnon, dicere: “quid iste argutat molestus?” quia tu, qui potes loquere, non loquis. non es nostrae fasciae, et ideo pauperorum verba derides. (46.2)
litterae thesaurum est, et artificium numquam moritur. (46.7)

A satisfactory assignment will:

Identity which of Boyce’s “popular features” that each bolded words in the four sentences above exemplifies
Provide an explanation of how you know that each word is an example of the particular “popular feature” to which you attribute it

Opusculum #3: Petronius, Seneca, and Neronian Literature

For this opusculum, you will compare and contrast the Satyrica with another literary text produced during the Neronian period. You will read Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis (often translated as the Pumpkinification of the Divine Claudius), a work that was written within a decade of the Satyrica’s publication and in a similar style and mode. You will then write a short essay that focuses on a specific element (i.e. a passage, character, or language from the Apocolocyntosis) and compares it to a parallel element in the Satyrica, pointing to key similarities and differences in the two texts through explicit reference and citation of each text. That is, it is not enough to say Claudius and Trimalchio are alike - you need to say what specific words in the text frame them as similar and explore the potential meaning of these similarities as well as be aware of the important differences as well. In your conclusion, you will situate your discussion in light of Dinter’s analysis of Neronian literature and explain how the similar (and different features) of the texts fit into or challenge key themes elucidated in the article.

A satisfactory assignment will:

Be 900 – 1000 words in length
Compares and contrasts a specific element of the Apocolocyntosis with a parallel element of the Satyrica
Refers explicitly to specific passages in both texts while making comparisons
Analyzes the reason for the similarities and differences in the chosen element in these two texts
Connects this discussion to the themes of Neronian literature as articulated by Dinter

Opusculum #4: Annotated Bibliography

For this opusculum, you will compile an annotated bibliography. You will start by selecting a theme or topic in the Satyrica that you have found particularly meaningful in this course. Some example of relevant themes or topics might include gender and sexuality, freedom and slavery, or the reception of the text. You will then begin to research this theme and accumulate a bibliography of 10 sources (articles, chapters, or books) that deal with your theme/topic (NB: if the source was published before 1960, you must run it by Professor Machado). You will then read these source and write a brief summary of it (1-2 paragraphs) laying out the purpose of the piece, its argument, its larger contribution to your understanding of the theme, and any problems you see with it.

If you are unsure as to how to compile a bibliography properly, please look at this webiste for reference. I don’t have a preference as to the bibliographic style that you use, I only ask that you be consistent throughout your document. If you need help finding sources, please consult with Jen Whalen, Holy Cross’ Classics librarian, or myself.

A satisfactory assignment will:

Explicitly states the theme or topic of the annotated bibliography
Include a list of 10 properly-cited sources
Feature a brief 1-2 paragraph annotations of each source that the source’s purpose, argument, and contribution to the study of the theme
Include criticism of sources where warranted