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Course Description
Academic Year 2021-2022 • Grade 11 and above • Literature Sequence
For reference only; see current year course listing for course availability and details.Western Literature to Dante II
Sections and Teachers
Section 1: Instructor: Bruce McMenomy
Starts: September 7, 2021
Ends: June 10, 2022
Tuesday 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Tuition: $500.00
There is more information at the teacher's course Website: Western Literature to Dante II
An occasional course offered for students who have an extra year to spend in literary studies, with special focus on classical and mediaeval materials, this course covers roughly the same chronological ground as Western Literature to Dante, but concentrating on different authors and a range of different works by the same authors.Prerequisites
Western Literature to Dante or equivalent.
Recommended background
This course is intended for students seriously thinking of pursuing classics or mediaeval studies in college, or those who would like to delve deeply into early literature with special attention. Some familiarity with Latin and/or Greek is certainly helpful, but not required.
Teacher's notes:
A practical alternative for those who find themselves in their junior year and would like to defer Senior English till their senior year, or for those who simply want a lot more focus on ancient and mediaeval litrature.
Textbooks and Materials
This item is required:
Greek Lyrics , Authors: Richmond Lattimore, ed.
ISBN: 0226469441
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Used versions of this book are available for about $2.00 through Amazon (the SO Bookstore), and it is also widely available at larger libraries.
This item is required:
Parzival: A Romance of the Middle Ages , Authors: Wolfram von Eschenbach, Helen M. Mustard (tr.), Charles E. Passage (tr.)
ISBN: 0394701887
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I really don't care overly whether you get this one or the equivalent Penguin version; I slightly prefer this one myself. Either way, however, you can get them used for fairly little. The work is long enough that you probably don't want to have to read it online.
This item is required:
The Cosmographia of Bernardus Silvestris , Authors: Bernardus Silvestris, Winthrop Wetherbee (tr.)
ISBN: 0231096259
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I've listed this as required because it's virtually impossible to find any other way. You are welcome to use any edition you can find, however. (Warning: the Latin original text is available as well, but is dizzyingly difficult.)
This item is required:
The Discarded Image , Authors: C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0521477352
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: This book will be required, though any edition is acceptable. (I've listed the Canto edition of 1994, but it was published through the main Cambridge University Press series much earlier.)
This item is required:
The Quest of the Holy Grail , Authors: Anon., Pauline M. Mararasso, tr.
ISBN: 0140442200
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: This is not available many other places, which is why I've listed it as required. The Matarasso translation has been out there for years, though, and there should be many copies available used for a pittance.
This item is required:
The Romance of the Rose , Authors: Guillaume de Lorris, Jean de Meung, tr. Dahlberg
ISBN: 0874512670
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I'm not really insisting on a particular translation, so you can pick and choose, but some version is necessary. This is a big work, so give yourself some lead time.
This item is required:
The Romance of Tristan , Authors: Beroul, Alan S. Fedrick (tr.)
ISBN: 0140442308
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I've listed this as required so that you'll make sure you're getting the Beroul version, but if you can find it elsewhere, I don't really mind. It's important not to mistake it for any of the many other Tristan stories out there.
This item is required:
Tristan , Authors: Gottfried von Strassburg
ISBN: 0140440984
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Since this is not widely available, I've listed it as required here, but anywhere you can get it is fine. It is long enough that even if it were readily available online, you'd probably rather not have to read it that way.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Arthurian Romances , Authors: Chrétien de Troyes, Carleton W. Carroll (tr.)
ISBN: 0140445218
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: There are a number of versions out there; David Staines' is also quite acceptable. This one is somewhat more economical, and there are used versions available. The texts of most of the romances are also available online.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Categories and De Interpretatione , Authors: Aristotle, J. L. Ackrill (tr.)
ISBN: 0198720866
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: These works are also available online if you don't want to pay for this (rather shockingly expensive) edition; Ackrill's notes really are superior, however, so this is strongly recommended. The work is available used from about $10.00.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Edda (Prose Edda) , Authors: Snorri Sturluson
ISBN: 0460876163
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: The text here is one of several convenient versions; it is also available online in other translations.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Greek Tragedies, vol. 2: The Libation Bearers (Aeschylus), Electra (Sophocles), Iphigenia in Tauris, Electra, and The Trojan Women (Euripides) , Authors: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, David Greene
ISBN: 0226307751
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some versions of both Sophocles' and Euripides' Electra are required. This is one accessible form; the plays are also available online, though I recommend against the very old Morehead translations.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Greek Tragedies, vol. 2: The Libation Bearers (Aeschylus), Electra (Sophocles), Iphigenia in Tauris, Electra, and The Trojan Women (Euripides) , Authors: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, David Greene
ISBN: 0226307751
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some versions of both Sophocles' and Euripides' Electra are required. This is one accessible form; the plays are also available online, though I recommend against the very old Morehead translations.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
La Vita Nuova , Authors: Dante Alighieri, Barbara Reynolds (tr.)
ISBN: 0140442162
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: You are also welcome to use the Mark Musa version (published separately or as part of the Portable Dante).
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Njal's Saga (sometimes The Saga of Burnt Njal). , Authors: Anon., Robert Cook, tr.
ISBN: 0140447695
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: The older Magnusson version from Penguin is equally acceptable; the text is also available online at the Internet Sacred Texts Archive.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
On the Good Life , Authors: Cicero, Michael Grant
ISBN: 0140442448
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: We'll be reading the Somnium Scipionis (Scipio's Dream) from this. There are a number of versions available online, though Grant's translation is quite accessible.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Poems of the Elder Edda [Edition or Version: 4], Authors: Anon., Patricia Terry (tr.)
ISBN: 0812282205
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Terry's translation is lively and engaging. You may read these poems here or in the Hollander edition; unless you are a real maven of things Nordic you probably don't need both. You can also find the relevant poems online, so don't really need to buy any.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Statius, Charles Stanley Ross (tr.) , Authors: The Thebaid: Seven Against Thebes
ISBN: 0801886368
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: We'll be spending several weeks on this, and it's hefty and long: you'll probably want a hard copy. This version is available used in paperback for a reasonable price. Any other version is acceptable, though it is somewhat difficult to find, and is fairly hard to locate in a readable edition online.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Argonautika: The Story of Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece , Authors: Apollonios Rhodios, Peter Green, tr.
ISBN: 0520076877
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I offer this as a verse alternative to the Penguin Rieu version. It is somewhat more expensive, though there are copies listing for less than a dollar through the Amazon site. You do NOT need both this and the Rieu.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Comedies , Authors: Terence, Betty Radice (tr.)
ISBN: 014044324X
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: These plays are available in many editions and online. You may read these plays in any format that's available; this is a fairly convenient one with a good solid (and readable) translation if you want the physical book. Make sure you get both the Hecyra and the Adelphoe.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Frogs and Other Plays , Authors: Aristophanes, David Barrett (tr.)
ISBN: 0140441522
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some reasonable modern version of this play is required; this edition is available cheaply in quantity. One can also elect to use a library edition or to read the play online.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Lais of Marie de France , Authors: Marie de France, Glyn S. Burgess (tr.)
ISBN: 0140447598
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: You will need some version containing the various Lais. There is also a version in the Everyman Library, and some online. I don't care much which one you use.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Plays of Roswitha , Authors: Roswitha von Gandersheim
ISBN: 1596545496
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: There are various editions of this to be found here and there; you are certainly welcome to use any version you like, including the online edition in the Mediaeval Sourcebook site at Fordham.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Poetic Edda [Edition or Version: 2], Authors: Anon., Lee M. Hollander, tr.
ISBN: 0292764995
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: This is probably well worth getting if you like this kind of material: Hollander's notes are extensive and intriguing, and his translation is probably better than any other out there for accuracy. I am also listing the Terry translation, however, if you would like an alternative.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Pot of Gold and Other Plays , Authors: Plautus, E. F. Watling (tr.)
ISBN: 0140441492
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I really don't care whether you read this in a book or online. If you want the hard copy, this is a reasonable edition. We need both the Menaechmi (contained herein) and the Amphitruo (Amphitryo, Amphitryon, in different editions), one way or the other. Reasonably cheap used copies are available at Amazon.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Rope and Other Plays , Authors: Plautus, E. F. Watling (tr.)
ISBN: 0140441360
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: As with the Menaechmi, I offer this as a convenience: you may read the play online or in another edition if you prefer. Inexpensive copies are available at Amazon.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Shorter Socratic Writings , Authors: Xenophon, Robert C. Bartlett, ed. and tr.
ISBN: 0801472989
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some edition of the Apology of Socrates (Xenophon's account, not Plato's!) is required. This is offered in case you want to own your own, but it is short and freely available through the Perseus Project.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Voyage of Argo: The Argonautica , Authors: Apollonius of Rhodes, E. V. Rieu (ed., tr.)
ISBN: 0140440852
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some edition of the Argonautica is required. It's less available online than some other works in this course, and it's long enough that you'd probably rather not read it all from the screen. I don't really care, however, which edition you use. This is a prose translation. I have also listed a verse translation by Peter Green, but it is somewhat more expensive.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Timaeus and Critias , Authors: Plato, Desmond Lee (tr.)
ISBN: 0140442618
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some edition of the Timaeus is required; one may read it from a library edition, some other reasonably modern translation of published independently or in a collected Plato.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Two Lives of Charlemagne , Authors: Einhard, Notker the Stammerer, David Ganz (ed., tr.)
ISBN: 0140455051
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: We'll be reading the Einhard half of this. It is available any number of places online, and the older Penguin edition will certainly suffice.
Ready to Enroll?
Don't yet have a member account? Click this button to create one. We collect only the information we need to identify you and support your enrollments.
Need to know more first? Click the button to check out our FAQs page. You can also email the teacher (just click on the teacher's name in the section listing above!), or contact our Academic Support advisor (See our Support page).
Scholars Online is fully accredited through the Middle States Accreditation Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Hosted on Interserver
Western Literature to Dante II
Sections and Teachers
Section 1:
Instructor: Bruce McMenomy
Starts: September 7, 2021
Ends: June 10, 2022
Tuesday 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Tuition: $500.00
There is more information at the teacher's course Website: Western Literature to Dante II
An occasional course offered for students who have an extra year to spend in literary studies, with special focus on classical and mediaeval materials, this course covers roughly the same chronological ground as Western Literature to Dante, but concentrating on different authors and a range of different works by the same authors.
Prerequisites
Western Literature to Dante or equivalent.
Recommended background
This course is intended for students seriously thinking of pursuing classics or mediaeval studies in college, or those who would like to delve deeply into early literature with special attention. Some familiarity with Latin and/or Greek is certainly helpful, but not required.
Teacher's notes:
A practical alternative for those who find themselves in their junior year and would like to defer Senior English till their senior year, or for those who simply want a lot more focus on ancient and mediaeval litrature.
Textbooks and Materials
This item is required:
Greek Lyrics , Authors: Richmond Lattimore, ed.
ISBN: 0226469441
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Used versions of this book are available for about $2.00 through Amazon (the SO Bookstore), and it is also widely available at larger libraries.
This item is required:
Parzival: A Romance of the Middle Ages , Authors: Wolfram von Eschenbach, Helen M. Mustard (tr.), Charles E. Passage (tr.)
ISBN: 0394701887
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I really don't care overly whether you get this one or the equivalent Penguin version; I slightly prefer this one myself. Either way, however, you can get them used for fairly little. The work is long enough that you probably don't want to have to read it online.
This item is required:
The Cosmographia of Bernardus Silvestris , Authors: Bernardus Silvestris, Winthrop Wetherbee (tr.)
ISBN: 0231096259
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I've listed this as required because it's virtually impossible to find any other way. You are welcome to use any edition you can find, however. (Warning: the Latin original text is available as well, but is dizzyingly difficult.)
This item is required:
The Discarded Image , Authors: C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0521477352
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: This book will be required, though any edition is acceptable. (I've listed the Canto edition of 1994, but it was published through the main Cambridge University Press series much earlier.)
This item is required:
The Quest of the Holy Grail , Authors: Anon., Pauline M. Mararasso, tr.
ISBN: 0140442200
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: This is not available many other places, which is why I've listed it as required. The Matarasso translation has been out there for years, though, and there should be many copies available used for a pittance.
This item is required:
The Romance of the Rose , Authors: Guillaume de Lorris, Jean de Meung, tr. Dahlberg
ISBN: 0874512670
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I'm not really insisting on a particular translation, so you can pick and choose, but some version is necessary. This is a big work, so give yourself some lead time.
This item is required:
The Romance of Tristan , Authors: Beroul, Alan S. Fedrick (tr.)
ISBN: 0140442308
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I've listed this as required so that you'll make sure you're getting the Beroul version, but if you can find it elsewhere, I don't really mind. It's important not to mistake it for any of the many other Tristan stories out there.
This item is required:
Tristan , Authors: Gottfried von Strassburg
ISBN: 0140440984
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Since this is not widely available, I've listed it as required here, but anywhere you can get it is fine. It is long enough that even if it were readily available online, you'd probably rather not have to read it that way.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Arthurian Romances , Authors: Chrétien de Troyes, Carleton W. Carroll (tr.)
ISBN: 0140445218
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: There are a number of versions out there; David Staines' is also quite acceptable. This one is somewhat more economical, and there are used versions available. The texts of most of the romances are also available online.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Categories and De Interpretatione , Authors: Aristotle, J. L. Ackrill (tr.)
ISBN: 0198720866
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: These works are also available online if you don't want to pay for this (rather shockingly expensive) edition; Ackrill's notes really are superior, however, so this is strongly recommended. The work is available used from about $10.00.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Edda (Prose Edda) , Authors: Snorri Sturluson
ISBN: 0460876163
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: The text here is one of several convenient versions; it is also available online in other translations.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Greek Tragedies, vol. 2: The Libation Bearers (Aeschylus), Electra (Sophocles), Iphigenia in Tauris, Electra, and The Trojan Women (Euripides) , Authors: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, David Greene
ISBN: 0226307751
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some versions of both Sophocles' and Euripides' Electra are required. This is one accessible form; the plays are also available online, though I recommend against the very old Morehead translations.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Greek Tragedies, vol. 2: The Libation Bearers (Aeschylus), Electra (Sophocles), Iphigenia in Tauris, Electra, and The Trojan Women (Euripides) , Authors: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, David Greene
ISBN: 0226307751
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some versions of both Sophocles' and Euripides' Electra are required. This is one accessible form; the plays are also available online, though I recommend against the very old Morehead translations.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
La Vita Nuova , Authors: Dante Alighieri, Barbara Reynolds (tr.)
ISBN: 0140442162
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: You are also welcome to use the Mark Musa version (published separately or as part of the Portable Dante).
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Njal's Saga (sometimes The Saga of Burnt Njal). , Authors: Anon., Robert Cook, tr.
ISBN: 0140447695
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: The older Magnusson version from Penguin is equally acceptable; the text is also available online at the Internet Sacred Texts Archive.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
On the Good Life , Authors: Cicero, Michael Grant
ISBN: 0140442448
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: We'll be reading the Somnium Scipionis (Scipio's Dream) from this. There are a number of versions available online, though Grant's translation is quite accessible.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Poems of the Elder Edda [Edition or Version: 4], Authors: Anon., Patricia Terry (tr.)
ISBN: 0812282205
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Terry's translation is lively and engaging. You may read these poems here or in the Hollander edition; unless you are a real maven of things Nordic you probably don't need both. You can also find the relevant poems online, so don't really need to buy any.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Statius, Charles Stanley Ross (tr.) , Authors: The Thebaid: Seven Against Thebes
ISBN: 0801886368
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: We'll be spending several weeks on this, and it's hefty and long: you'll probably want a hard copy. This version is available used in paperback for a reasonable price. Any other version is acceptable, though it is somewhat difficult to find, and is fairly hard to locate in a readable edition online.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Argonautika: The Story of Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece , Authors: Apollonios Rhodios, Peter Green, tr.
ISBN: 0520076877
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I offer this as a verse alternative to the Penguin Rieu version. It is somewhat more expensive, though there are copies listing for less than a dollar through the Amazon site. You do NOT need both this and the Rieu.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Comedies , Authors: Terence, Betty Radice (tr.)
ISBN: 014044324X
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: These plays are available in many editions and online. You may read these plays in any format that's available; this is a fairly convenient one with a good solid (and readable) translation if you want the physical book. Make sure you get both the Hecyra and the Adelphoe.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Frogs and Other Plays , Authors: Aristophanes, David Barrett (tr.)
ISBN: 0140441522
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some reasonable modern version of this play is required; this edition is available cheaply in quantity. One can also elect to use a library edition or to read the play online.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Lais of Marie de France , Authors: Marie de France, Glyn S. Burgess (tr.)
ISBN: 0140447598
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: You will need some version containing the various Lais. There is also a version in the Everyman Library, and some online. I don't care much which one you use.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Plays of Roswitha , Authors: Roswitha von Gandersheim
ISBN: 1596545496
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: There are various editions of this to be found here and there; you are certainly welcome to use any version you like, including the online edition in the Mediaeval Sourcebook site at Fordham.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Poetic Edda [Edition or Version: 2], Authors: Anon., Lee M. Hollander, tr.
ISBN: 0292764995
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: This is probably well worth getting if you like this kind of material: Hollander's notes are extensive and intriguing, and his translation is probably better than any other out there for accuracy. I am also listing the Terry translation, however, if you would like an alternative.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Pot of Gold and Other Plays , Authors: Plautus, E. F. Watling (tr.)
ISBN: 0140441492
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: I really don't care whether you read this in a book or online. If you want the hard copy, this is a reasonable edition. We need both the Menaechmi (contained herein) and the Amphitruo (Amphitryo, Amphitryon, in different editions), one way or the other. Reasonably cheap used copies are available at Amazon.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Rope and Other Plays , Authors: Plautus, E. F. Watling (tr.)
ISBN: 0140441360
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: As with the Menaechmi, I offer this as a convenience: you may read the play online or in another edition if you prefer. Inexpensive copies are available at Amazon.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Shorter Socratic Writings , Authors: Xenophon, Robert C. Bartlett, ed. and tr.
ISBN: 0801472989
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some edition of the Apology of Socrates (Xenophon's account, not Plato's!) is required. This is offered in case you want to own your own, but it is short and freely available through the Perseus Project.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
The Voyage of Argo: The Argonautica , Authors: Apollonius of Rhodes, E. V. Rieu (ed., tr.)
ISBN: 0140440852
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some edition of the Argonautica is required. It's less available online than some other works in this course, and it's long enough that you'd probably rather not read it all from the screen. I don't really care, however, which edition you use. This is a prose translation. I have also listed a verse translation by Peter Green, but it is somewhat more expensive.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Timaeus and Critias , Authors: Plato, Desmond Lee (tr.)
ISBN: 0140442618
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Some edition of the Timaeus is required; one may read it from a library edition, some other reasonably modern translation of published independently or in a collected Plato.
This item is recommended but not required and its use is optional:
Two Lives of Charlemagne , Authors: Einhard, Notker the Stammerer, David Ganz (ed., tr.)
ISBN: 0140455051
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: We'll be reading the Einhard half of this. It is available any number of places online, and the older Penguin edition will certainly suffice.
Ready to Enroll?
Don't yet have a member account? Click this button to create one. We collect only the information we need to identify you and support your enrollments.
Need to know more first? Click the button to check out our FAQs page. You can also email the teacher (just click on the teacher's name in the section listing above!), or contact our Academic Support advisor (See our Support page).
Scholars Online is fully accredited through the Middle States Accreditation Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Hosted on Interserver