The Classics Revewed: New Approaches to Late Latin Poetry

CONVENERS

Scott McGill (Rice University)
Joseph Pucci (Brown University)

Conference Overview

Late antiquity is a pivotal age in Roman history. By the term late antiquity we mean the period from the end of the Severan dynasty in 235 CE to the Carolingian Age in the eighth and ninth centuries CE. Over the course of that period, the Roman World underwent seismic changes culturally and politically. In the fourth and fifth centuries, Christianity rose to become the state religion; the Empire split into a Western half and an Eastern half; and Western Imperial Rule gradually dissolved, until in 476 CE the system of government fell, leaving a patchwork of Germanic kingdoms. Later monumental events included the Islamic Conquest of Spain and North Africa and the rise of the Carolingian Dynasty, which ruled over a new, unified Roman Empire. It is no exaggeration to say that late antiquity is one of the great transformational eras in Western Civilization.

Late antiquity is also an important and compelling age in Western literary history. We have chosen to focus upon one area of the period’s literature, its Latin poetry. The verse that survives from late antiquity is plentiful; and several authors, notably Claudian, Prudentius, and Alcuin, had a strong reputation and influence among later writers and critics into the nineteenth century. Through that poetry, the Classical tradition was both continued and transformed. Authors worked with conventional forms, but updated them to reflect contemporary tastes and fitted them to new historical contexts and demands. Of particular note is the development of Christian Latin poetry. Especially from the fourth century CE, authors composed works on Christian themes, usually in genres drawn from the Classical past. The poetry is thus a vivid manifestation of how the Christian and the Classical merged in late antiquity to produce a hybrid culture.

Classical scholars once shunted aside Late Latin poetry, owing principally to their Classicizing prejudices. But this has changed in the past few decades, so much so that the study of the poetry is one of the more vital areas of research in the field. This conference seeks to continue to breathe fresh life into Classical scholarship by offering new perspectives on Late Latin poetry. Our aim is to bring together leading scholars in the field to treat in original ways what we have identified as salient aspects of the literature. The conference will be international in scope. We anticipate that it will lead to an edited volume of essays.

The range of papers and subjects presented at the conference will be considerable. Presenters will naturally focus upon Latin texts, Latin literary history, and Latin literary culture; but topics will also include late-antique and Christian visual arts, Roman political and military history, and Christian theology. So, too, the presenters will deal with issues of broad humanistic interest. These include the use of poetry to advertise, appeal to, or resist political power; the role that poetry plays in preserving cultural identity, particularly in periods of political turmoil; and the interactions between religious and secular culture. Finally, contributors will apply modern critical methodologies to the ancient material, thus further transcending disciplinary borders. Because of its variety, the conference will appeal not only to Classicists but also to faculty in Religious Studies, History, Art History, and English, as well as to students and members of the public interested in Classics, poetry, and the history of Christianity.

N.B.: This is a two part conference. The first sessions took place in the Spring of 2011 at Rice University. The conference will reconvene at Brown University in the Fall of 2011.

Conference Schedules

Rice: March 17-19, 2011
Brown: October 13-15, 2011

Related Files

Conference Poster
Late Antiquity Poster

The Brown portion of this conference is funded by the Department of Classics, the Cogut Center for the Humanities Research Grant, the Department of Comparative Literature, the Office of International Affairs Graduate Colloquium Fund, the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs, the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, the Woods Lectureship Fund, the Program in Medieval Studies, the Program in Early Cultures, the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and the Department of Religious Studies.