Expert Ancient Greek: Περὶ ποιητικῆς καὶ ποιημάτων – Introduction to Ancient Greek poetry (G403)

$750.00

We will read a wide variety of ancient Greek poetry, beginning with Hesiod’s epics and then turning to the elegiac poetry of Mimnermus, Solon, and Theognis, the quarrelsome iambics of Hipponax, the lyric verse of Anacreon and Sappho, and then selections from the trinity of Attic tragedians, and finally conclude with Aristophanes’ Frogs. We will also read from Aristotle’s and Plutarch’s theoretical works about poetry, practice translating other dialects (e.g. Ionic, Aeolic, Doric) into Attic, and even compose some of our own poetry.
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Description

In the first part of this course, after working through the opening of Aristotle’s Poetics, students will be introduced to the range of Ancient Greek poetic traditions. We will Hesiod’s epics and then turn to the elegiac poetry of Mimnermus, Solon, and Theognis, followed by the quarrelsome iambics of Hipponax, the lyric verse of Anacreon and Sappho, and even a late Hellenistic experiment: Nonnus of Panopolis’ hexameter paraphrase of the Gospel of John.

The second part of the course turns to drama. Students will read Aristotle’s discussion of tragedy in the Poetics, alongside excerpts from Plutarch’s How a Young Man Should Study Poetry. With these guides in mind, we then turn to the stage itself, discussing some passages from Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, and Euripides’ Medea, and conclude the course on a lighter note through Aristophanes’ Frogs.

Along the way, students will be introduced to Ancient Greek prosody, practice reading a variety of meters, and try their hand at composing in hexameter, iambic trimeters and Sapphic stanzas themselves! The course will also highlight the main features of some other Ancient Greek dialects (Ionic, West Aeolic, and Doric), while all discussion of the texts will be conducted in Attic Greek.

Course details:

  • Sessions last 1.5 hours
  • 1 session per week
  • Course lasts 14 weeks
  • Term runs Jan. 4, 2026 – Apr. 11, 2026

How ALI courses work:

  • ALI courses are live, online classes run by ALI Ancient Greek professors. Learn Ancient Greek from anywhere.
  • Classes run on a trimester basis.
    • Fall: September – December
    • Spring: January – April
    • Summer: May – August
  • We want to make sure you’re completely satisfied. If you don’t love your first Ancient Greek class, we guarantee a 100% refund. After that, in weeks 2 – 4, refunds will be made on a pro rata basis, based on however many class sessions you’ve attended. We cannot issue refunds after the fourth week of classes.
  • Read more on our FAQ page and check out our academic calendar page to see a more detailed schedule

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