Allen Romano
aromano@uchicago.edu
office: HME 581
office hours: T 1:30-3:00, W 10:00-11:00 and by appointment
Technologies of Memory in the Ancient World
CLCV 224 / 324
T/Th 12-1:20
website: chalk.uchicago.edu
In this course we will examine memory and various "technologies of memory" (e.g. oral
poetry, writing, rhetorical mnemonics) in ancient Greece and Rome. Topics include the
nature of memory in both ancient myth and culture, the development of literacy and the
invention of the Greek alphabet, the use of writing and the nature of reading, and the
compositional techniques of Homeric poets and ancient rhetoricians.
This course views the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean through the lens of memory
and "technologies of memory". It is therefore a course on these ancient cultures and at the
same time a course which uses ancient culture as the background for a larger thematic
discussion.
Format
Consider this class a workshop in ancient culture. This means in part that the class is
mixed format, consisting of various parts discussion, brief lecture, and other activities. It
also means that the intended shape of the class is one where we can all "get our hands
dirty" with the material.
There are three distinct elements of this course:
1. Discussion: Each class will consist primarily of discussion and activities related to the
reading assignment. This is the central component of the course and will occupy the
majority of our time.
2. Presentations: From time to time, in the interest of providing factual information in a
tidy package, I will give short mini-lectures on the history, literature, and culture of
Greece and Rome. Everyone in the class will be asked to give one presentation on a topic
contextualizing memory in its ancient context.
3. Online: Although this is a course on the ancient Mediterranean world, comparison with
technologies of the modern world and their relationship to memory looms large in the
background. Indeed, the complex parallels between the development of the alphabet in
ancient Greece, printing in Renaissance Europe, and computing in the modern world have
occupied many scholars over the past two decades. This part of the course focuses on
brief readings by writers comparing these various technologies of memory. [See below
for details.]
Readings
All readings will be provided on the course website or in photocopy. We will read
portions of a wide variety of ancient and modern texts. A booklist of the most important
of these books is given at the end of the syllabus.
Requirements
Emphasis is on the basics: read the texts, talk about them, write about them.
Participation (50%)
The simplest part of class -- come to class having read the material, thought about it, and
ready to participate in discussion.
Presentation (10%)
Everyone will give a brief (e.g. 15 min) presentation on a topic which puts memory or
related topics (e.g. literacy, rhetoric, etc.) in its specific cultural contexts. This may
include comparison with non-ancient or non-Greco-Roman civilizations.
Writing Assignments
Response papers (15%): Three 2-page (double-spaced) response papers on the reading in
a given week. Take a particular claim made in one of the readings each week (ancient or
modern) and evaluate it against either the other readings of the week or material from
your own areas of expertise. Take a stance as to whether the logic of the argument holds
up, whether it is a reasonable reading of the ancient text (in the case of secondary
readings), etc. These papers are meant to be brief and focused, so try to limit the
discussion to a small number of specific points. You may choose which weeks to write
these, but you must complete the first paper by the end of the third week of class and you
must complete all three by the end of the quarter.
Expansion (15%): Develop one of your previous short writing assignments by 1.
responding to comments 2. going deeper into the sources and secondary literature and 3.
refining the argument. You may choose to marshal more evidence in support of your
point or to take a different stance on a problem you looked at before. For undergraduates,
this paper should be 8-10 pages; for graduate students, 12-14. The paper is due the last
day of exam week.
Book Review (Graduate students only): Pick a book related to the topic of the class and
write a c. 800 word book review.
Informal/Rapid Response Reading Log (10%): It is only fitting that the medium for
discussing modern technologies itself be somewhat different from the rest of the course.
Each week I will distribute selections from books which either compare ancient and
modern communicative technologies or speak to the issue of memory in a wider
comparative context. These readings are marked below by the superscript web. As you
read these selections, you can post your thoughts at our class blog (--purely for our
personal use and not for massive public consumption--). This is meant to be an informal
writing forum. Simply post what you think as you are reading. Tell us whether you think
it is any good, worth reading, completely uninformed, outdated, etc. You may post as
little or as much as you like provided that you post at least one item each week. The
readings go Sunday to Sunday, but we can of course revisit topics at any point. You
should also feel free to create whatever persona you like if you would like to be
maximally anonymous in the world at large.
There is no final exam.
Note on Greek and Latin
Some of the selected readings are more technical than others and will use Greek and
Latin without translation. Do not hesitate to ask about unfamiliar Greek and Latin words
which come up in the readings.
Schedule [updates online]
Date
Assignment [due on the day listed]
T 9/28
Th 9/30
Introduction
[before Thursday: email me with answers to questions about you and your interest in this
class. I want to know 1. a bit about you -- name, class, major, interests, etc. 2. what classes
you have taken related to ancient Greece or Rome and 3. why you are taking this class and
what you hope to get out of it. Please take no more than 10 minutes doing this.]
Reading:
Plato, Phaedrus
Svenbro, J. "The Reader and the eromenos: The Pederastic Paradigm of
Writing" from Phrasiklea
Thomas, R. ch. 1 and 2 Literacy and Orality in Ancient Greece
Optional Reading:
Reynolds and Wilson, Scribes & Scholars p. 1-43.
T 10/5
Greek Literacy
Invention of the Greek alphabet
Readings:
Early Greek writing compilation; Odyssey 4; Egypt selection
Thomas, R. ch. 4 "The coming of the alphabet: literacy and oral
communication in archaic Greece" from Literacy and Orality in Ancient
Greece
Powell, B. Writing and the Origins of Greek Literature [selection]
Optional:
Stoddart, S. and Whitley, J. "The social context of literacy in Archaic Greece
and Etruria"
Th 10/7
Orality and Literacy
Readings:
Havelock, The Muse Learns to Write
Harris, W. ch. 2 and 4 Ancient Literacy
Optional:
Harris, W. ch. 3 Ancient Literacy
web O'Donnell, J. Avatars of the Word [selections]
10/12
Poetry and Memory
The Performing Poet
Readings:
Homer, Odyssey selections
Explore Odyssey CD
Edwards, M. Homer: Poet of the Iliad on type-scenes and Homeric style
10/14
Optional:
Nagy, G. Homeric Questions
Readings:
Detienne, M. ch. 2 Masters of Truth in Archaic Greece
Minchin Homer and the Resources of Memory
Thomas, R. ch. 6 Literacy and Orality in Ancient Greece
web Ong, W.J. Orality and Literacy [selections]
10/19
Ritual and Landscape
10/26
History, Genealogy, and Antiquarianism
11/2
Ancient Thoughts about Memory
11/9
Rhetoric and Mnemonics
Select list of Books
Augustine Confessions
Carruthers, M. The Book of Memmory
The Craft of Though
Carruthers, M. and Ziolkowski, J. The Medieval Craft of Memory
Halbwachs, M. On Collective Memory (trans. L. Coser)
Harris, W. Ancient Literacy
Havelock, E. Preface to Plato
The Muse Learns to Write
Homer, Odyssey
Lanham, E. The Electronic Word
O'Donnell, J. Avatars of the Word
Ong, W. Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word
Plato Phaedrus, Meno
Powell, B. Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet
Writing and the Origins of Greek Literature
Reynolds and Wilson Scribes & Scholars
Small, J.P. Wax Tablets of the Mind
Sorabji, R. Aristotle on Memory
Stock, B. The Implications of Literacy
Svenbro, J. Phrasikleia: An Anthropology of Reading in Ancient Greece
Thomas, R. Literacy and Orality in Ancient Greece
Oral Tradition and Written Record in Classical Athens
Yates, A. Art of Memory