LATN 034. Apuleius and Augustine

This course will explore the two most important Latin authors from the Roman province of Africa (roughly modern Tunisia). We will read selections in Latin from the Metamorphoses of Apuleius (also known as The Golden Ass) and from the Confessions of St. Augustine; we will read the complete books in English, as well as Peter Brown’s famous biography, Augustine of Hippo. General topics will include: the peculiar qualities of “African Latin”; the place of Apuleius within the tradition of Greek and Roman novels; Platonism, the cult of Isis, and allegory in Apuleius; Augustine’s purposes as a writer of “autobiography”; the place of Latin literature, Platonism, Manichaeism, and orthodox Christianity in Augustine’s life and thought.
This is not an approved writing course, but students will work over the course of the semester on producing a formal research paper of about ten pages.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Spring 2025. Turpin.
Catalog chapter: Classics
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics

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