In no other period did the tensions and ambiguities inherent in Roman society become more apparent than in the first century C.E. It was a violent and cruel period in which absolute power was often exercised with a malignancy that has rarely been plied since. This age also produced a literature often marked by profound humanity and by an inventiveness second only to that of the "Golden Age" a century before. We will read selections from Seneca, Juvenal, and Pliny the Younger in the original and from others in translation. Our goal will be to gain some insight into the paradoxes of this period, Rome's "Silver Age." Evaluation will be based on class participation, several reports presented by each student, and a final exam. Prerequisite: Latin 201 or permission of the instructor.
FUQUA