Schedule of Readings

                                                                                                                                 

Week 1: Organization & introduction

For Week 2:

Points of focus: Proem & program in Herodotus; Elements of archaic style

Greek: 1-26+: proem (1.1-5), Mermnadae (1.6-25), start of Croesus narrative (26 at least, so that you can analyze the seam)

Translation: book 1

Secondary: Wecowski 2004 (e-journal), Thalmann 1984 chap 1 (on website).

For further reading, Fränkel 1960 (section V: on website), Lattimore 1958 (e-journal), van Groningen 1958 (on reserve), Slings 2002 (on reserve); and generally the section “Herodotus’s first sentence and proem” in bibliography (most are on reserve or easy to access, but here are Erbse 1956 and Hommel 1981).

Notes: Read quickly one or more of the general introductions (I recommend either Gould 1989 or Evans 1982, both on reserve). You will want to start the process of deep familiarity with Asheri’s commentary too. It is also the time to begin your notebook (see blurb).

For Week 3:

Points of focus: Narrative rhythm & structure

Greek: Massagetae (1.201-216)

Translation: book 1

Secondary: Immerwahr 1966 (on reserve), esp. chapter 1-2 (17-76) and the part of chap. 3 on Book I ( 79-93); Wood 1972 (on reserve), Introduction & chapter 1 (9-57); Herington 1991b, “The Poem of Herodotus,” Johnson 1994.

For further reading: see bibliography under “Composition and Structure.” We will study, in particular, Nagy 1987 and 1990, with the criticisms and consequences (see bibliography).

For Week 4:

Points of focus: Antecedents and Contemporaries, orality & literacy

Greek: 2.1-35 (if necessary, skim 6-17)

Translation: Book 2

Secondary:  Fowler 1996, Bertelli 2007 in Luraghi 2007, Murray 2007 (both pp. 16-44 and 314-325) in Luraghi 2007.

Selected fragments of Hecataeus of Miletus: FGrH #F1, F15, F27, F30, F17, F21 at a minimum. The relevant volumes of FGrH for early historiography are on reserve in the Classics library (near the mailboxes). Posted here is a guide to Jacoby’s Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker, kindly shared by my former colleague Getzel Cohen. Note that the entirety of Jacoby is now being redone as a collaborative online edition (see “Jacoby online” under the Brill website).

For further reading, see bibliography under “Inherited Traditions: Antecedents and Origins.” We will study, in particular, the materials in Luraghi 2007, esp. (in addition to the above) Bowie 2007, Fowler 2007, and Luraghi’s own chapter (“Local Knowledge”); and S. West 1991.

For Week 5:

Points of focus: Antecedents and Contemporaries

Greek: 2.169-182 (Amasis), selection from Airs Waters Places, §§12-14

Translation: Book 2, Book 3.1-38, Airs Waters Places (handout; for full text see LCL edition)

Secondary: Thomas 2000, esp. pp. 1-134 and 168-212 (=chapters 1-4, 6).

For further reading, see bibliography under “Inherited Traditions: Antecedents and Origins.” Note also Lloyd’s magisterial introduction to Book 2 in Asheri 2007 and the collection and analysis of sources in Shrimpton 1997.

For Week 6:

Points of focus: Antecedents and Contemporaries, so-called “liar school”

Greek: Book 3.1-16, 27-38 (Cambyses) [a longer reading]

Translation: Book 3

Secondary: Luraghi 2006 in Dewald and Marincola 2006, pp. 76-91. Fehling 1989 (general perusal but also select 3 examples from Chapter 1 for close study; read Chapter 2, sections 2.1-2.9 and Chapter 3, sections 3.1.-3.5). Prichett 1993 (peruse and study his refutations in Chapter 2 for the 3 examples you selected from Fehling). (Fehling and Prichett are on both Perkins reserve and the reserve in the Classics library.)

For further reading, see bibliography under “Sources and Authority: the liar school,” esp. Armayor 1985 (on reserve in the Classics library), Moles 1992, S. West 1985, Boedeker 2000 in Depew & Obbink 2000.

For Week 7:

Points of focus: Narratology and Authorial Persona

Greek: Book 3.68-88 (constitutional debate and accession of Darius)

Translation: Book 3

Secondary: Dewald 1999, Dewald 2002 (also on reserve); de Jong 2001, de Jong 2002 (also on reserve); Marincola 1987 (“Herodotean Narrative”: e-journal).

For further reading, see bibliography under “Narratology and Narrative,” esp. Brock 2003 in Derow and Parker 2003 (on reserve); Dewald 1987 (“Narrative Surface and Authorial Voice: e-journal); de Jong 2004; Lang 1984;  Pelling 2006.

For Week 8:

Points of focus: Narratology and Motivation

Greek: 4.1-16, skim 17-81 (Scythian logos, part 1)

Translation: Book 4

Secondary: Baragwanath 2008, chapters 1-2 (much of chapter 2 can be skimmed) and chapters 3-4 (the book is also on reserve); Chamberlain 2001 (e-journal). .

For further reading, see bibliography under “Narratology and Narrative.” Cf. also Munson 2001, esp. Chap. 1.

For Week 9:

Points of focus: Ethnography and Identity

Greek: 4.82-117 (Scythian logos part 2)

Translation: Book 4

Secondary: Hartog 1988, on reserve at both Perkins and Classics, pp. 12-84 (=Chapters 1&2 and part of chapter 3); pp. 212-259 (=Chapter 6; you can skim much of 237ff); Pelling 1997; Munson 2001, pp. 107-123 on the Scythians (book on reserve in Classics, the specific pages here; and chapter 1 on narratology here)

Further reading: section on “History and Ethnography” in Bakker 2002 (on reserve), and the class bibliography under “Ethnography and Identity,” esp. Gehrke 2007, Munson 2001, 2005. Cf.. also Pritchett 1993, chap. 4 on “Hartog and Skythia,” on reserve; and review by Carolyn Dewald in CP 85 (1990) 217-24 (e-journal).

For Week 10:

No class

Greek: 4.118-145.1 (Scythian logos part 3)

Translation: Books 5-6

Secondary: Work on your presentations. Announce self-selected articles for next week (see Week 11).

For Week 11:

Points of focus: The springing of the coil: in what ways does the tight military narrative look back to or even devolve from the earlier books?

Greek: Book 9, chapters 108-122 (the closing chapters to the work)

Translation: Books 7-9

Secondary: Reports on self-selected articles or books, possibly (but not necessarily) in preparation for, or foundational to, the presentations in weeks 12-13. Make sure to announce these in advance via email.

Presentations:

Joanne Fairhurst: Bakker 2002. Egbert J. Bakker, “The Making of History: Herodotus’s Historiês Apodexis.” In Bakker et al. 2002 (on reserve). Available here.

Tripp Young. Ryan S. Schellenberg’s "They Spoke the Truest of Words": Irony in the Speeches of Herodotus's Histories.” Arethusa 42 (2009) 131–150. Available here.

Lekha Shupeck. Julia Kindt's article, "Delphic Oracle Stories and the Beginning of Historiography: Herodotus' Croesus Logos." Classical Philology, 2006. p. 34 - 51 (e-journal)

Ted Graham: Catherine Darbo-Peschanski's book Le discours du particulier: Essai sur l'enquête hérodotéenne.

Rob Dudley: "Herodotus and Solon" by Susan O. Shapiro. Classical Antiquity Vol. 15, No. 2 (October 1996), 348-364 (e-journal).

Katie Langenfeld: "The Superlative 'Nomoi' of Herodotus's 'Histories'" by W. Martin Bloomer, Classical Antiquity, Vol 12, No 1 (Apr. 1993) (e-journal)

waj: Herington 1991a = Herington 1991a. C. John Herington, "The Closure of Herodotus’ Histories” ICS 16: 149-160. Available here

For Week 12:

Student presentations: Joanne Fairhurst, Ted Graham, Rob Dudley

(see Syllabus for description)

For Week 13:

Student presentations: Lekha Shupeck, Katie Langenfeld, Tripp Young

(see Syllabus for description)

Papers due Friday Dec. 4 (see Syllabus for description)

Supernumerary Session, December 9, 3:05, Papyrology Room, Perkins

Herodotus panel (see Syllabus for a description)