CPLT 2010 · Self-Study Edition
History of European Literature I
A course by the late Paul Cantor · University of Virginia
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Required Texts
- Homer, The Iliad — trans. Robert Fagles (Penguin)
- Homer, The Odyssey — trans. Robert Fagles (Penguin)
- Aeschylus, The Oresteia — trans. Robert Fagles (Penguin)
- Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays — trans. Robert Fagles (Penguin)
- Aristophanes, Four Plays — trans. William Arrowsmith (Meridian)
- Virgil, The Aeneid — trans. Allen Mandelbaum (Bantam)
- Ovid, The Metamorphoses — trans. Horace Gregory (Mentor)
- Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays — ed. A. C. Cawley (Everyman)
- The Song of Roland — trans. Glyn Burgess (Penguin)
- The Lais of Marie de France — trans. Glyn Burgess (Penguin)
- Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot — trans. Ruth Cline (Georgia)
- Dante, The Divine Comedy: Inferno — trans. Mandelbaum (Bantam)
- Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel — trans. Burton Raffel (Norton)
- Marlowe, Doctor Faustus (Signet)
- Shakespeare, Hamlet (Signet)
- Cervantes, Don Quixote — trans. Burton Raffel (Norton)
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Schedule of Readings and Lectures
| Session | Reading & Lecture |
|---|---|
| 01 | Introduction |
| 02 | The Homeric Question |
| 03 | HOMER, Iliad, Books 1–7, 9 |
| 04 | Iliad, Books 16, 18–24 |
| 05 | HOMER, Odyssey, Books 1, 5, 8–12 |
| 06 | Odyssey, Books 13, 17, 19, 21–24 |
| 07 | AESCHYLUS, The Oresteia: Agamemnon |
| 08 | AESCHYLUS, The Libation Bearers & The Eumenides |
| 09 | SOPHOCLES, Oedipus the King |
| 10 | SOPHOCLES, Antigone |
| Suggested Essay I (5 pages) | |
| 11 | ARISTOPHANES, The Birds |
| 12 | ARISTOPHANES, The Clouds |
| 13 | VIRGIL, Aeneid, Books 1–6 (omit 3: 1–379, 7: 847–1072, 8: 198–410) |
| 14 | Aeneid, Books 7–9, 11–12 (omit 11: 295–591, 12: 1–674) |
| 15 | OVID, The Metamorphoses, Books 1–7 (to p. 194) |
| 16 | Everyman (just the play with that title) |
| 17 | The Song of Roland |
| 18 | The Lais of Marie de France: “Guigemar,” “Bisclavret,” “Lanval,” “Chaitivel,” “Chevrefoil,” “Eliduc” |
| 19 | CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES, Lancelot |
| Suggested Essay II (5 pages) | |
| 20 | DANTE, Inferno, Cantos 1–17 |
| 21 | Inferno, Cantos 18–34 |
| 22 | RABELAIS, Gargantua & Pantagruel, Book I, Prologue, Chap. 1, 3–4, 6–11, 13–15, 17, 21–29, 33, 36–40, 42–47, 52–53, 55–57 |
| 23 | Gargantua, Book II, Prologue, Chap. 1–10, 15, 17–19, 21–24, 29–32, 34 |
| 24 | MARLOWE, Doctor Faustus |
| 25 | SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet |
| 26 | Hamlet, continued |
| 27 | CERVANTES, Don Quixote, Vol. I, Prol., Chap. 1–9, 18, 20–22, 25, 38, 47–49, 52 |
| 28 | Don Quixote, Vol. II, Chap. 1–3, 5, 8, 10, 17, 24–27, 45, 53, 59, 62, 71–74 |
| Suggested Essay III (5 pages) | |
| 29 | Conclusion |
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How to Use This Archive
- Read each session's assigned text before working through its corresponding lecture notes — the lectures assume you've just finished the reading.
- Three essay prompts appear at their original points in the sequence. There's no one to submit them to, but writing a response — even informally — is one of the best ways to test whether you've actually absorbed the material.
- There is no exam and nothing to pass or fail. The only real requirement is finishing the books.
- Move at whatever pace suits you. The session numbers exist only to preserve the course's original order, not to set a schedule.
16Texts
29Sessions
3Essay Prompts
Adapted from the original course requirements for self-directed study.