REMEMBER, Paper #1 is due by 5pm on Monday in my office. Please place it in the box if I'm not there, and don't slide it under the door (I'll just step on it). NO CLASS on Monday--just work on writing an engaging, thoughtful analysis of your work of theory/literature.
For Wednesday, read pages 5-29 of our translation of Sappho's poetry. Sappho was considered the "Tenth Muse" of the ancient world, a Greek poet whose works were widely read, translated, and distributed all over the Greek and later Roman empire. Strangely (or not so strangely, if you like conspiracy theories), most of her works were destroyed, existing in only garbled form or on stray parchments, so we only have one complete poem by Sappho. Some are near-complete, others single lines or even words. Much of her work was probably destroyed in the famous fire of Alexandria, then the world's greatest library and a storehouse of infinite knowledge (who knows what else we lost?). However, it is said that her complete works filled up ten volumes of poetry! We now barely have enough for one slim volume. If you want to read more about her, you can read the Introduction of our book, or a short article I wrote about her poetry here: http://hblackbeard.blogspot.com/2014/05/neither-for-me-honey-nor-honey-bee.html
Otherwise, here are some questions to consider as you read:
* What does it mean to read a fragment rather than a complete work? Is this "literature"? Is there sufficient context to derive meaning from the poems? Do they seem complete in some sense--or do they lead to complete thoughts?
* How does Sappho "make language strange" through her poetry and use of metaphor? Even in incomplete form, what images stand out?
* Which poems seemed the most complete to you? Why? Related to this, which poems reminded you of other poems or works you've read? Which seemed the most 'modern'?
* These are primarily lyric poems, which Culler writes "are fictional imitations of personal utterance. It is as if each poem began with the invisible words, "For example, I or someone could say,"" (75). Are there any clues to help us read these poems as works of fiction or works of autobiography? Who is the "I" in these poems? Are we sure (or not sure) it's the poet herself? Are they even all female speakers?
* Sappho was from the Greek island of Lesbos, which later coined the connotation "lesbian." However, Sappho lived before such a term existed, and may or may not have been sexually involved with other women. How do these poems/fragments suggest her sexuality in modern terms? Should we read her in light of recent theories of sexuality? Or attempt to read her more historically?
* Related to the above, do her poems suggest that women can have deep emotional relationships without sex? Or is sexuality implied?
* Why might we consider these poems snapshots of the lives of women in ancient Greece? What do they reveal about their hardships, relationships, fears, and desires? What might Sappho have wanted her readers to learn about the "true" nature of women, since these are women behind closed doors, and not performing for men--or supporting characters for the hero in a male epic?
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