奥古斯都凯撒统治下黄金时期的罗马文学，是在政治体制从共和转变至帝制的过渡时期中产生，这些作品对西欧和美国社会有着深远且划时代的影响。它们从根本上建立起美学的精细淬炼、对哲学研究的热切渴望，和政治的雄心壮志，仍为塑造现代文化的长久典范。本课程将会从历史的观点，替这些最先产生的不朽古典文学巨作，提供在文化背景上的精密审视，藉以来探讨拉丁文学的黄金时期。而课程阅读注重在奥古斯都凯撒统治下，从政府的共和体制转变至帝国的过渡时期，个别作家对罗马社会所经历深刻结构改变的各类回应。独特的焦点将会放在透过文字的社会重组和自我重建、公共与私有尺度的改变、阶级和性别所扮演的角色，以及艺术与娱乐间的关连性。著作涵盖广泛的文学类型，包括凯撒、西塞罗(Cicero)、卡图拉斯(Catullus)、李维(Livy)、维吉尔(Virgil)、贺拉斯(Horace)和奥维德(Ovid)等人的作品，并外加上迪奥(Cassius Dio)的历史著作，来协助了解历史背景。Roman Literature of the Golden Age of Augustus Caesar, produced during the transition from Republican to Imperial forms of government, was to have a profound and defining influence on Western European and American societies. These writings ultimately established lasting models of aesthetic refinement, philosophical aspiration, and political ambition that continue to shape modern cultures. This class will be exploring the Golden Age of Latin Literature from an historical perspective in order to provide an intensive examination of the cultural contexts in which these monumental works of classical art were first produced. Readings will emphasize the transition from a Republican form of government to an Empire under the rule of Augustus Caesar and the diversity of responses among individual authors to the profound structural changes that Roman society was undergoing at this time. Particular attention will be devoted to the reorganization of society and the self through textuality, the changing dimensions of the public and the private, the roles of class and gender, and the relationship between art and pleasure. Writings covering a wide variety of literary genres will include the works of Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Livy, Virgil, Horace, and Ovid, with additional readings from Cassius Dio for background.
