Catullus 3 is a lament for the death of Lesbia’s sparrow, a lament that seems to focus more on the change in Lesbia’s physical appearance due to her grief than any genuine grief for the sparrow’s death on Catullus’ part. I wonder how Lesbia might have interpreted poems with this subtext about her lack beauty while she is grieving. I certainly would have been angry.
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Teaching Martha Marchina’s “De Puero Jesu”
Martha Marchina (1600-1646) wrote Latin poetry, and her work was published posthumously by the Spada family, a powerful family in Rome. Her poetry often had deeply religious and symbolic themes that placed women, particularly Mary, in positions of power. She also tended to describe Jesus when he was an infant, juxtaposing Jesus’s infancy with his death. In “De Puero Jesu,” though, she focuses on Jesus as a boy and the role that his parents had in raising him. She plays with two meanings of the word regere in this poem, which makes for rather delightful reading. Although I personally tend to dislike religious poetry, Martha is different. I particularly enjoyed…
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Grief in Martial’s Epigram 1.101 and a Mother’s Funerary Inscription
Teaching Martial’s epigram 1.101 in conjunction with Salvidiena Hilara’s funerary inscription showcases Roman attitudes toward death, slavery, and women’s writing. This teacher’s guide provides tiered readings and various activities to allow students to explore the nuances of Martial’s epigram and the depth of feeling in Hilara’s monument to her daughter.
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Parasiti, Poetae, et Cenae
Parasiti, Poetae, et Cenae is a collection of curated readings on the topic of Roman Dinner invitations and Roman parasites. It includes a short non-fiction reading in Latin introducing these cultural concepts and comprehension questions for that reading. The non-fiction reading connects to the Mostellaria as well as Catullus’ famous cenabis bene poem (Catullus 13) and several of Martial’s epigrams. These poems are included as tiered readings to help them be more comprehensible. This collection of teaching resources can be used in conjunction with teaching the Mostellaria or independently. It is most suitable for use in a Latin III or Latin IV classroom. The Martial Epigrams include: a description of…
