How could anyone ever evoke sympathy for a woman whose rage at her husband’s betrayal leads to the murder of their own children? The immortal Roman poet, Publius Ovidius Naso, did exactly that, in his Heroïdes XII (25–16 BCE). Ovid’s “Letters of Heroines”, a foundational example of epistolary fiction, imagines the pleas that the scorned women of Greco-Roman mythology might have written to the heroic lovers who have mistreated them. In this course, we explore this protofeminist perspective of Medea—whose cunning, magic, and murders helped Jason, with his Argonauts, to capture the Golden Fleece…only to be abandoned by him for a politically advantageous royal marriage. For those with little or no Latin, the use of bilingual (Latin-English) texts, provided by the instructor, will serve as an introduction to (or review of) basic grammar and vocabulary, while offering more advanced students practice in reading authentic Latin poetry. There will be an optional class trip (November 7) to the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Medea, starring international diva Sonya Yoncheva.

NOTE: Students who register for this course may take it in-person and/or online (at no extra cost to those who attend both sessions).