Hellenic Society & Roman Society Online Course

6.00pm - 7.30pm (UK time) + recordings will be available

Sam Newington: Exploring the World of Sappho

This course will offer an introduction Sappho and explore the inspiration poetic works of this poetess from Lesbos. The weekly focus of the course will be as follows: i. introduction to Sappho and the cultural landscape, ii. poetic competition: comparative with archaic poetry, iii. female voice and sexuality, iv. myth and sensory reflections and, v. Sappho and classical reception. 

Wednesday 16 September
Session 1
Introduction to Sappho and the cultural landscape: reflecting upon the world of Sappho, the cultural landscape and history of the archaic era. Particular focus will be given exploring to what extent the archaic environment is reflected in the poetry of Sappho.

Wednesday 23 September
Session 2
Poetic competition: comparative with archaic poetry: here we will engage in a comparative approach with other archaic poetry, such as Homer, Alcaeus and Alcman.

Wednesday 30 September
Session 3
Female voice and sexuality: focus will be given to exploring female voice and gender in the poetry of Sappho, as well as offering a comparative with Corinna and Praxilla.

Wednesday 7 October
Session 4
Myth in Sappho: here we will explore mythological paradigms and archetypes, and how the sensory aspect of Sappho's poetry provides innovation.

Wednesday 14 October
Session 5
Sappho and classical reception: an exploration of the reception of Sappho in classical and cultural reception.

Sam Newington is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, whose broad research interests not only include Sappho and archaic poetry, but currently include trauma in ancient Greek myth. Sam has a range of publications and further information may be located here: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/s.newington

Fees and Practical Information

• Members of the Hellenic Society and Roman Society may book at a heavily discounted rate.
• Hellenic Society and Roman Society Members: £60
• Hellenic Society and Roman Society Student Members: £30
• All Non-Members: £120
• To join or renew your subscription to the Hellenic Society or Roman Society, please visit:
  https://www.hellenicsociety.org.uk/membership/
  https://www.romansociety.org/Membership
  Lectures will be recorded and will be available for one month after the course has ended.
• After booking, and before the course starts, you will receive an email with the Zoom link and any preparatory reading.
• The course will be held on our Zoom platform. You will be able to ask questions using the chat or Q&A functions. It is not necessary to have a microphone or camera.
• Some courses will include optional additional reading / documents. If so, these will be held on Google Drive and you will be sent the link.
• Please read the Webinar Guidance which can be downloaded from here:
  https://www.hellenicandromanlibrary.org/Events before attending the course.
• If you have any queries or problems, please email Fiona Haarer (office@romansociety.org)