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The Poetry of Horace

Code: 104203
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Ancient Studies OB 3
English and Classics Studies OB 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Joan Gomez Pallares
Email :
joan.gomez@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

 

AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION

It is advisable to have passed the subject "The Aeneid" (second year, second semester). Otherwise, the student will have to make a significant additional effort to pass it. Horace presents a greater difficulty than Virgil.

Objectives

 

AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION


This is a subject included in the Latin Philology subject. In a certain way, it assumes the continuity of the subject The Aeneid, taken in the second semester of the second year.

Description of the subject (according to the Ancient Sciences curriculum): "Lyric poetry in Rome. Characteristics of the genre. Horacio. Contexto histórico. Traducción y comentario filológico".

Objectives: the work in face-to-face classes and, where appropriate, in seminars and tutorials, will aim for the student, at the end of the semester, to be able to:

1) Apply the techniques that allow the rapid understanding of the Latin text.

2) Understand a Latin text without using the dictionary.

3) Translate a text by Horace of between 20 and 25 verses in 1.30 hours.

4) Answer grammatical, metrical and stylistic questions related to the text.

5) Answer questions about the historical context in which the genre is framed and about its subsequent tradition.

Learning outcomes

  1. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  2. Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
  3. Explain the context of the literary works whose characters, topics and clichés were passed down to the following tradition.
  4. Extract information from the Greek and Latin texts on aspects of realia especially related to their historical and cultural context.
  5. Translate fragments of the Latin works proposed.
  6. Explain the gist of a text without any need for a prior morpho-syntactic analysis or the use of a dictionary.
  7. Write a morpho-syntactic commentary on a Latin text.
  8. Use rapid text-comprehension techniques based on the semantic resources provided by the knowledge of Catalan, Spanish and, where necessary, other Romance languages.
  9. Write a metric commentary on a Latin text in verse.
  10. Write a stylistic commentary on a Latin text.
  11. Identify in the Latin texts the characteristics of a particular literary genre.
  12. Analyze the morphosyntactic components of a Latin text identifying those are specific of a literary genre or a particular linguistic variant.
  13. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  14. Translate fragments of the proposed Latin works.
  15. Explain the context of the literary works whose characters, topics and clichés were passed down to the following tradition.
  16. Use rapid text-comprehension techniques based on the semantic resources provided by a knowledge of Catalan, Spanish and, where appropriate, other Romance languages.
  17. Extract information from the Latin texts on aspects of realia especially related to their historical and cultural context.
  18. Recognise the themes and topics emanating from the Greek works studied in the European literary and artistic traditions.

Contents

AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION


CONTENTS
HORACI'S POETRY


I. THE LITERATURE OF THE AUGUSTAN PERIOD. HISTORICAL, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT


Suggested readings:


Bieler, Ludwig, \"The Age of Augustus\", in Id., History of Roman Literature, ed. Gredos, Madrid 1972, pp. 175-185.
Moralejo, José Luis, Horacio, Gredos, Madrid 2012.


II. HORACE. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA. WORKS


Suggested readings:


Suetonius, De uiris illustribus, Life of Horace.
Albrecht, Michael von, History of Roman literature. From Andronicus to Boethius. Volume I, Herder, Barcelona 1997, pp. 662-688.
Beard, Mary, SPQR. A history of ancient Rome, Critica, Barcelona 2016.
Moralejo, José Luis, Horacio, Gredos, Madrid 2012.


Odes I, 3; II, 7.
Satires I, 4; I, 6.


See also:


Codoñer, Carmen (ed.), History of Latin literature, Cátedra, Madrid 1997.


III. LYRIC POETRY IN ROME


Suggested readings:


Codoñer, Carmen (ed.), Latin literary genres, Salamanca 1997.
Martin, René – Gaillard, Jacques, Les genres littéraires à Rome, Nathan, Paris 1990, pp. 320-328.
Alvar Ezquerra, Antonio, \"The lyrical poetry of Horacio. The Epodos The Odes\", in C. Codoñer (ed.), History of Latin literature, Chair, Madrid 1997, pp. 123-136.
Cortés Tovar, Rosario, \"Sátiras y Epistolas\", in Codoñer, C. (ed.), Historia de la literatura Latina, Cátedra, Madrid 1997, pp. 137-153.


 


 


IV. THE HORACIANS TOPICS AND THEIR INFLUENCE IN UNIVERSAL LITERATURE
Suggested readings:


Martindale, Charles, “Horacio, Ovidio y otros” in Jenkyns, R. (ed.), The legacy of Rome, Crítica, Barcelona 1995, pp. 161-196.
See also:


Beard, Mary, The Living Heritage of the Classics, Barcelona 2013.
Curtius, Ernst Robert, European Literature and Latin Middle Ages, 2 vols., Mexico 1978.
Highet, Gilbert, The Classical Tradition, 2 vols., Mexico 1954.
Jenkyns, Richard, A walk through the literature of Greece and Rome, Crítica, Barcelona 2015.


V. TEXTS TO BE TRANSLATED


Reading and commenting on a selection of Satires:


 


I, 5 (trip to Brindisi); I, 6, 45-99 (aspects of the author's life explained by himself); I, 8, 23-39 (spell of witches; Canidia (see also Epodes 3, 5 and 7 and Satires II, 1 II, 8) and Saga); II, 8 (Nasidiè dinner).


 


Reading and commentary on a selection of Epistles:
I, 13 (delivery to Augustus of the first three books of the Odes); II, I, 139-174 (origins of the theater, Graecia capta...,).


 


Reading and commenting on a selection of Epodes:
2 (Beatus ille), 7 (mourning for the civil wars), 8 (to an old nymphomaniac), 9 (joy for the victory of Acci), 13 (carpe diem), 15 (A Neera).


 


Reading and commentary on a selection of Odes:
I. 1 (dedication to Maecenas; exhibition of different forms of life); I. 4 (joy I of youth); I. 5 (in Pyrrha); I. 9 (carpe diem); I. 11 (carpe diem); I. 14 (allegory of the State); I. 22 (in Làlage); I. 23 (in Chloe); I. 27 (symposium scene); I. 37 (suicide of Cleopatra); I. 38 (praise of the little pleasures of life); II. 1 (disastrous consequences of the civil war); II. 7 (old republican spirit of Horace); II. 10 (aurea mediocritas); II. 14 (time out); II. 16 (praise of peace and life in the countryside; theme of the aurea mediocritas); II. 17 (friendship with Maecenas); II. 20 (the immortality of the artist) III. 5 (the value and pride of feeling Roman; episode of Rule); III. 9 (in Lydia; see also Odes I, 8; I, 13 and I, 25); III. 13 (at the source of Bandúsia) III. 29 (invitation to Maecenas to move to Horace's villa and rest from his political duties); III. 30 (awareness ofthe good writer's immortal fame); IV. 7 (death ends everything); IV.14 (praise of Augustus and Tiberius); IV. 15 (praise of the pax augusta).


 

VI. NOTIONS ABOUT PROSODY AND METRICS APPLIED TO HORACIIAN POETRY. NOTIONS ABOUT THE ELEGY DISTRICT


 


Suggested reading:


Ceccarelli, Lucio, Prosodia y métrica del látín classico, ed. University of Seville, Seville 1999.



VII. MANDATORY READINGS


Horace, entire corpus.
Moralejo, José Luis, Horacio, Gredos, Madrid 2012.


In this subject, gender aspects have been taken into account as follows:


 


Selecting those poems of Horace in which the protagonists or secondary characters are women.
Not allowing a sexist use of language in both oral and written student contributions.
Ensuring in class an atmosphere of respect towards the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and policies.
Avoiding gender stereotyping in the examples.
Writing the full name of the authors of the bibliography, instead of citing them by their initials.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
TÈCNIQUES DE COMPRENSIÓ RÀPIDA D'UN TEXT LLATÍ 4 0.16 6, 8
EXERCICIS DE MÈTRICA I TRADUCCIÓ 8 0.32 5, 9, 10, 14
LECTURES OBLIGATÒRIES 15 0.6 3, 11
TRADUCCIÓ I COMENTARI FILOLÒGIC DELS TEXTOS 35 1.4 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18
ESTUDI DE LÈXIC I REVISIÓ DE GRAMÀTICA 15 0.6 1, 6, 8, 13
TRADUCCIÓ DIÀRIA 45 1.8 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12
EXERCICIS DE LECTURA I MORFOSINTAXI 7 0.28 5, 12
CONTINGUTS TEÒRICS 6 0.24 3

THIS SUBJECT DOES NOT INCORPORATE SINGLE ASSESSMENT.

 

AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION


The student will have to take responsibility for carrying the proposed text for translation and philological commentary daily (nulla days sine linea).

The daily translation task is essential if you want to pass the subject successfully.


In class, the teacher will spend time

1) Read, translate and comment on the proposed selection of texts.

2) Provide students with mechanisms that allow them to progressively increase the volume of translated text.

3) Correct the texts translated daily by the students.

4) Comment on the linguistic, literary and socio-cultural content of the translated texts, with particular emphasis on the aspects related to their later tradition.

5) Explain the grammatical, metrical and stylistic contents.

6) Explain factual content that helps to contextualize the text.

 

Students must use a Latin-Catalan/Spanish university dictionary; they will not be allowed to use a school dictionary.
CLASSROOM REGULATIONS

Since numerous scientific studies show that reading on paper improves the understanding and memorization of the contents, while facilitating critical reflection, it is strongly recommended that all the materials available on the Virtual Campus are printed and that the activities and exercises are always work on paper. On the other hand, the use of digital devices (tablets or computers) and mobile phones in the classroom will be restricted to teaching activities and always at the request of the teaching staff.

Classes will start on time. After 15 minutes you will no longer be able to enter the classroom. Nor will it be possible to leave earlier if the teaching staff has not been notified beforehand.
In the event that the tests cannot be taken in person, their format will be adapted (maintaining their weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB's virtual tools. Homework, activities and class participation will be done through forums, wikis and/or exercise discussions through Moodle, Teams, etc. The teaching staff will ensure that the student can access it or will offer him alternative means, which are within his reach.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
PROVA DE TRADUCCIÓ AMB COMENTARI MORFOSINTÀCTIC I ESTILÍSTIC 25% 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 15, 18
PROVA FINAL DE TRADUCCIÓ D'UN TEXT NO VIST A CLASSE 30% 1.5 0.06 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16
PROVA ORAL DE TRADUCCIÓ D'UN TEXT VIST A CLASSE 10% 9 0.36 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17
TRADUCCIÓ D'UN TEXT BREU NO VIST A CLASSE 10% 1.5 0.06 5, 9, 10, 12
PROVA DE TRADUCCIÓ DE TEXTOS VISTOS A CLASSE 25% 1.5 0.06 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12


AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION


I. EXERCISES AND EVALUATION TESTS


The student's assessment will be based on 5 activities:


1) Personal resolution of exercises. The student must have the translation ready every day in order to demonstrate the understanding and application of the content explained in face-to-face classes. These translations can be requested in the classroom without prior notice, at the beginning or end of the session. Percentage: 10%

2) Test of theoretical content: on the literary genre, on the historical, social and political context in which Horace writes and on his work. Percentage: 10%


3) First proof of translation of a text not previously worked on. Percentage: 10%

THIS SUBJECT DOES NOT INCORPORATE SINGLE ASSESSMENT.


ASSESSABLE


If the teacher has two or more pieces of evidence from the student, the student will be graded on the scale of failure to excellent (or MH), in accordance with the percentages described.

To be in a position to pass the subject (approved-MH), the student must, at least, have completed:

1) The final test of translation of a text not previously worked on, with resolution of morphosyntactic, stylistic and metrical issues and of realia and having obtained a rating greater than or equal to 4.

2) 75% of the periodic exercises.

3) The control of theoretical content.


If the sum of the weighting of the grades is equal to or greater than 5, but one of the three requirements mentioned above is not met, the studentwill be graded with a 4.5 (failed).


Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.


III. CONDITIONS OF RECOVERY


To be eligible for reassessment students must be evaluated on 2/3 of the total amount..


To be able to present yourself for recovery, you must have at least a 3.5 course grade average.

In the recovery phase, the student will only be able to recover the final translation test of a text not previously worked on, with resolution of morphosyntactic, stylistic andmetrical and factual issues.



In the test of recovery that will be programmed by the Equip of the Dean of the Faculty, the students will only be able to recover the part corresponding to the final exercise of the translation of a text from Horace (50%).


IV. CALENDAR OF EXERCISES AND EVALUATION TESTS


1) Test of theoretical content: on the literary genre, on the historical, social and political context in which Horace writes and on his work. Percentage: 10%.


2) First proof of translation of a text not previously worked on. Percentage: 10%:


3) Final translation test of a text not previously worked on, with resolution of morphosyntactic, stylistic and metrical issues. Percentage: 50%. Date:

4) Test of translation of texts previously worked on in class, with resolution of morphosyntactic, stylistic and metrical and factual questions. Percentage: 20%:

In the event that a student cannot attend a partial test or the final make-up test on the set day, he/she will not have the opportunity to repeat the exam, unless the teacher considers it appropriate in view of the supporting documentation of the reason for absence

In the re-evaluation test, which will be scheduled by the Dean's Team of the Faculty, students will only be able to recover the part corresponding to the final exercise of translating a text by Horace not previously worked on (50%) .


V. QUALIFICATIONS REVIEW PROCEDURE




The student has the right to review all exercises and partial and final exams in class and/or during the tutoring hours of the subject.

A date will be set for the review of the provisional final grade and that of the make-up test, which will be announced in the subject's CV.

Students are required to check the subject's grading report before the end of the course to ensure that there has been no error in the transfer of grades by the teacher.


Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.




VI. PLAGIARISM


In the event that the student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment act, this assessment act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instituted. In the event that several irregularities occur in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this will be 0.


VII. VIRTUAL OR HYBRID TEACHING

In the event that the tests cannot be taken in person, their format will be adapted (maintaining their weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB's virtual tools. Homework, activities and class participation will be done through forums, wikis and/or exercise discussions through Moodle, Teams, etc. The teaching staff will ensure that the student can access it or will offer him alternative means, which are within his reach.

Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAFIA

 

Històries de la literatura romana (obres de referència):

ALBRECHT, Michael Von, Historia de la literatura romana, 2 vols., Herder, Barcelona 1997.

CITRONI, Mario – CONSOLINO, Franca Ela, LABATE, Mario, NARDUCCI, Emanuele, Letteratura di Roma antica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1997.

CODOÑER, Carmen (ed.), Géneros literarios latinos, Salamanca 1997.

CODOÑER, Carmen (ed.), Historia de la literatura latina, Cátedra,  Madrid 1997.

KENNEY, Edward John – CLAUSEN, Wendell Vernon (eds.), Historia de la literatura clásica. II. Literatura latina, Gredos, Madrid 1989.

MARTIN, René – GAILLARD, Jacques, Les genres littéraires à Rome, Nathan, París 1992.

ZEHNACKER, Hubert – FREDOUILLE, Jean Claude, Littérature latine, PUF (Presses Universitaires de France), París 1993.

 

Per a la contextualització històrica de les obres recomanem:

BEARD, Mary, SPQR. Una historia de la antigua Roma, Crítica, Barcelona 2016.

GRIMAL, Pierre, La civilización romana. Vida, costumbres, leyes, artes, Barcelona 1999.

GRIMAL, Pierre, Historia de Roma, Paidós, Barcelona 2005.

HACQUARD, Georges et al., Guía de la Roma Antigua, Atenea, Madrid 2000.

LANE FOX, Robert, El mundo clásico. La epopeya de Grecia y Roma, Crítica, Barcelona 2007.

 

Per a la tradició en la literatura europea de les obres clàssiques recomanem:

CURTIUS, Ernst Robert, Literatura europea y edad media latina, 2 vols., Mèxic 1978.

HIGHET, Gilbert, La tradición clásica, 2 vols., Mèxic 1954.

JENKINS, Richard (ed.), El legado de Roma. Una nueva valoración, Crítica, Barcelona 1995 (caps. V, VII).

 

És obligat tenir com a diccionari de capçalera, al costat dels bilingües, el de HOWATSON, M. C., Diccionariode la Literatura Clásica, Alianza Editorial, Madrid 1991.

 

RECURSOS EN XARXA

 

http://www.culturaclasica.com

http://interclassica.um.es

http://www.cnice.mecd.es

http://www.unicaen.fr/rome

http://www.xtec.cat/~sgiralt/

 

http://pagines.uab.cat/culturaclassicagrauhumanitatsuab

 

Recorregut virtual pel Fòrum de Roma:

http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it/carcer-tullianum

 

 

 

HORACI

 

Edicions:

Q. Horatii Flacci Opera, ed. de David Roy Shackelton Bailey, Stuttgart 1985 (Munic-Leipzig 2001).

Q. Horatii Flacci Opera, ed. de Edward Charles Wickham, Oxford Classical Texts, 1901 (revisada per Heathcote William Garrod 1912).

 

Traduccions:

Horaci, Sàtires i epístoles. ed. i trad. d'Isidor Ribas i Llorenç Riber, FBM, Barcelona 1926.

Horaci, Odes i Epodes, 2 vols., ed. i trad. de Josep Vergés, FBM, Barcelona 1978-81.

Horaci, Odes, trad. de Jaume Juan, Adesiara, Barcelona 2020.

Horaci, Epodes, trad. de Joan Carbonell, La Magrana, Barcelona 2004.

Horaci, Sàtires. Pròleg i trad. de Jaume Juan, Adesiara, Barcelona 2008.

Horacio, Odas y Epodos. Ed. bilingüe de Manuel Fernández-Galiano i Vicente Cristóbal. Trad. de Manuel Fernández- Galiano. Introd. de Vicente Cristóbal, Cátedra, Madrid 1990.

Horacio, Epodos, Odas y Carmen Secular, introd., versió rítmica i notes de Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2007 (versió bilingüe).

Horacio, Sátiras, Epístolas, Arte Poética, ed. bilingüe i trad. d’Horacio Silvestre, Cátedra, Madrid 1996.

Horacio, Sátiras, Epístolas, Arte Poética, introd., trad. i notes de José Luis Moralejo, Gredos, Madrid 2008.

 

Comentaris:

LEJAY, Paul, Les satires d’Horace, Hildesheim 1966.

MAcLEOD, Colin William – RUDD, Nail, Horace. Epistles. Epistle to the Pisones (Ars Poetica), 2 vols., Cambridge 1989.

NISBET, Robert George Murdoch – HUBBARD, Margaret, Horatius, Carmina 1-2, Oxford 1970-78.

PLESSIS, Frédéric – LEJAY, Paul – GALLETIER, Édouard, Oeuvres d’Horace. I. Odes, Épodes et Chant Séculaire, Hildesheim 1966.

QUINN, Kenneth, Horace. The Odes, Londres 1980.

 

Estudis sobre Horaci i el seu temps:

CORTÉS TOVAR, Rosario – FERNÁNDEZ CORTE, José Carlos (Eds.), Bimilenario de Horacio, Salamanca 1994.

CREMONA, Virginio, La poesia civile di Orazio, Milano 1986.

ENCICLOPEDIA ORAZIANA, 3 vols., Roma 1996-1998.

HARRISON, Stephen John (Ed.,), Homage to Horace. A Bimilenary Celebration, Oxford 1995.

LANA, Italo, Orazio: dalla poesia al silenzio, Venosa 1993.

LA PENNA, Antonio, Orazio e l’ideologia del principato, Torí 1963.

MORALEJO, José Luis, Horacio, Gredos, Madrid 2012

RUDD, Nail, Horace 2000: a Celebration. Essays for the Bimillennium, Londres 1993.

SHACKLETON BAILEY, David Roy, Profile of Horace, Londres 1982.

 

 

Estudis sobre la poesia d’Horaci:

ARMSTRONG, David, Horace, New Haven-Londres 1989.

BRINK, Charles Oscar, Horace on Poetry, 3 vols., Cambridge 1963-82.

CUPAIUOLO, Fabio, Lettura di Orazio lirico. Struttura delle Ode oraziane, Nàpols 1967.

DELLA CORTE, Francesco – FEDELI, Paolo – CARENA, Carlo, Q. Orazio Flacco. Le opere. II. Le Satire. Le Epistole. L’Arte Poetica, 2 vols., Roma 1994.

GHISELLI, Alfredo, Orazio, Bolonya 1983.

PASOLI, Elio, Le epistole letterarie di Orazio, Bolonya 1964.

PASQUALI, Giorgio, Orazio lirico, Florència 1964.

RONCONI, Alessandro, Orazio satiro, Bari 1964.

RUDD, Nail, Themes in Roman Satire, Londres 1986.

WITKE, Charles, Horace’s Roman Odes. A Critical Examination, Leiden 1983.

 

 

 

Software

CAP

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed