Poetry to Prose Time

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tolky1
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Poetry to Prose Time

Post by tolky1 »

Dear All:

My question is how you think about time for prose versus time for poetry. My students read Metamorphoses last year at a certain pace; I'm going to be probably doing prose this year, likely some from In Catilinam. What would be a good number to make sure I'm matching about the same pace as last year?

Best,

Mark Hamilton

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Barry Hofstetter
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Re: Poetry to Prose Time

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Well, good question but impossible to answer. How much per class did you guys cover last year? But really, a direct corollary would be difficult. Prose is not at all less difficult than poetry, and the First Catlinarian, while relatively straightforward, has it's challenging moments. Class dynamics will come into play as well, as I'm sure you know. You are going to have to have several classes to judge what the pace might be. It's a challenge to push while respecting current limitations, but it's what we do.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter

Cuncta mortalia incerta...

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Barry Hofstetter
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Re: Poetry to Prose Time

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

I forget to mention above: I start with the First Catilinarian with my Latin 5's today, and this after they have finished the AP readings in Vergil in the last Trimester. The last time I did this with a class, they strongly preferred Cicero to either Caesar or Vergil, which I found quite surprising. Part of it was they felt they could make an almost personal connection with this ancient writer, part the drama of the conspiracy. Considering recent events, comparing Roman politics with recent events here in the states should be... interesting!
N.E. Barry Hofstetter

Cuncta mortalia incerta...

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