Assignment for Monday, January 26:

Read: Thuc. Book 1.139-145 (Penguin pp. 118-123, Spartan demands and Pericles’ reply), Book 2.34-65 (Penguin pp. 143-164, Funeral Oration, Plague, Assessment of Pericles’ Policy), Book 5.84-116 (Penguin pp. 400-408, Melian Dialogue)

To think about:

• Ponder the speeches you’ve read for today. Why doesn’t Thuc. simply summarize them, esp. if they are not real ‘transcripts’? (Remember 1.22, on p. 47 – but is that a convincing argument?)
• Consider the Funeral Oration in particular. How does it function as an act of memory, i.e., what does it seek to ‘remember’ or ‘commemorate’ in particular? Is it aptly named a ‘funeral oration’? What does it reveal about the Athenian (or the Thucydidean view of the Athenian) attitude toward memory?
• The Melian Dialogue is one of the most famous sections of Thuc.’s history, in part because it addresses so directly the ambitions of imperialism….and the response of the victims of imperialism. Come prepared to discuss which side, in your view, presents the most persuasive argument….and also be prepared to give specific reasons for your view (i.e., read the Dialogue very carefully!).

Looking ahead: For Wednesday I’m going to ask you to read the first 32 pages of Hutton’s History as an art of memory (a copy of this is on our reserve shelf in Odegaard).