Course Themes Flashcards
1
Q
what is utopia?
A
- ‘good place’ or ‘no place’ (etymologically ambiguous)
- removed from normal society
- completely organized (man-made) or totally natural (paradise)
- man in complete control or in harmony w/ nature
- labour absent/reduced
- society is perfect & egalitarian
- used as a form of ideological expression (cf. Birds)
- ideal for parady/satire
2
Q
what is fantasy?
A
- the impossible made probable
- depiction of the unreal
3
Q
what is fiction?
A
- the improbable made possible
- depiction of the real
4
Q
what are Milesian tales?
satyricon lecture
A
- short stories or fables dropped into the middle of a larger story
- frequently admit the fantastic or supernatural
- frequently admit the erotic (lustful interactions)
- e.g. Golden Ass
5
Q
what is Menippian satire?
A
- Menippus (3rd c. BCE, cycnic philosopher & poet)
- mixture of verse & prose
- satirizes idea, attitudes, & worldviews
- often self-aware
- fantastical settings (dreams, afterlives, space travel, etc.)
- e.g. Satyricon, True History, Golden Ass
6
Q
what is Lucillian satire?
A
- Gaius Ennius Lucilius (c. 180-102 BCE, Pompey’s grandfather)
- verse form (dactylic hexameter)
- uniquely Roman (setting & issues)
