Assignment for Wednesday, February 11:

Read: Livy, Book 1.35-104 (Penguin, pp. 74-104)

NB: An amicable reminder: by this point two things should be happening: 1) you should be, or should be very shortly, in full-blown paper mode – either refining/researching your topic, and even writing; and 2) you should be reading on a pretty regular basis the Latin and/or Greek you’ve opted to do.

Things to think about:

• Book 1 features a number of strong-willed, influential women. What common characteristics can you discern in Livy’s narrative of, say, the Sabine women, Tarpeia, Tanaquil, and Lucretia? How, too, are they rendered distinct? Thinking back to Herodotus, how do ‘Livy’s women’ differ from those in Herodotus?
• The latter part of Book 1 chronicles the deterioration and eventual destruction of the Roman monarchy. What causes that deterioration? Is it entirely apparent that L. believes monarchy to be a bad thing…or is it simply that there are only bad monarchs?
• Think about the rape of Lucretia episode and be prepared to present your interpretation of it. With what sort of ‘memory’ does L. invest this episode – how, that is, does he want the reader to remember her? Is she heroic….or pathetic? Or a little of both?