Literature of the Ancient World

Full-year course. Explore the earliest written stories and their oral origins, from epic tales like The Odyssey to profound dramas like Antigone. Read ancient texts and learn more about prevalent themes like the hero’s journey, divine intervention, and the timeless quest for homecoming. This course offers an engaging journey through ancient poetry, drama, and biblical texts, examining the cultural and historical contexts that shaped these works. Rooted in classical education principles, students will cultivate robust critical thinking and literary analysis skills while exploring humanity’s earliest literary expressions.

Course highlights include:

• Comparative analysis of ancient epic and dramatic literature.
• Discussions on the roles of mythology and religion in early literary works.
• Introduction to the role of oral storytelling in forming the literary canon.
• Reflective writing on shared concepts across cultures (such as heroism, justice, duty, and fate) explored in ancient texts.
• Exploration of storytelling through various viewpoints, including character, plot, style, and context.

Students will engage in a variety of assignments designed to deepen their understanding and analytical skills, including weekly quizzes or summaries to ensure comprehension, short response papers to react to readings, and midterm and final papers for in-depth exploration of literary techniques and meanings.

Before enrolling, we encourage you to review the proposed readings to ensure alignment with your student’s maturity level.