Spring 2022
COMLIT 153 001 - LEC 001
The Renaissance
Fables of Desire
Ellen S Oliensis
Class #:32874
Units: 4
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Comparative Literature
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
0
Enrolled: 16
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 16
Waitlist Max: 5
Open Reserved Seats:0
Hours & Workload
3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week, and 9 hours of outside work hours per week.
Final Exam
TUE, MAY 10TH
03:00 pm - 06:00 pm
Other classes by Ellen S Oliensis
Course Catalog Description
European literature of the Renaissance.
Class Description
From the first century CE to the present, Ovid’s myth-encylopedic Metamorphoses has been an astonishingly fertile resource for myth-makers of all stripes (theorists, artists, philosophers). This class will focus on an array of stories that illustrate various permutations of desire: of men for women, women for men, men for men, women for women. We will explore these stories both in their original setting, within the poem and at the height of the Augustan period, and alongside the critiques, theoretical elaborations, and artworks they have provoked. Two broad (and interconnected) sets of questions will guide our discussions. First, how does Ovid figure questions of gender and desire, and how are these figurations muted, transformed, or otherwise put to use by his readers? And second, what is involved in translating a story written in Latin at the start of the first century CE into another language, era, and/or medium?
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Course is not repeatable for credit.
Requirements class fulfills
Meets Arts & Literature, L&S Breadth
Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials
Associated Sections
None