EARLY ROMAN

LITERATURE
TROJAN HORSE
Capital City of Italy --
Rome
ROMAN
LITERATURE
■ The early Romans made little progress in
literature, not until they conquered the Greeks.
■ Roman Literature was greatly imitative of the
Greek models. Greek literature are translated to
Latin, then learned by Roman children.
ROMAN LITERATURE
■ The satire is a dominant genre in Roman Literature.
VIRGIL
■ Greatest writer Rome has
produced.
■ He began as a lyric poet, but
his greatest work is
“Aeneid”, Rome’s greatest
epic.
■ Virgil chose Aeneas as the main character, set in the same setting
from Homer’s Iliad.
■ Aeneas is a Trojan prince, whom Virgil made as the founder of
Rome.
■ Tells the story of the Trojan war in order. It begins with Aeneas’
adventures before the Battle for the Possession of Latium.
 Comparing
Iliad-Odyssey
Homer’s Iliad and
and Aeneid
Odyssey Virgil’s Aeneid
■ Began with war ■ Began with the
(Trojan War), ended adventures of Aeneas
with the adventures (after Trojan war), then
ended with the battle in
of Odyssey.
Latium.
_______ 1. The alligator ate the bird and found itself feeling quite
full.
________ 2. We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a
drop in the ocean.
________ 3. The fans themselves have practiced for the fan
project in the concert.
________ 4. We had to laugh at ourselves for not being able to do
anything spectacular.
________ 5. I have never failed to meet a deadline I myself have
set up.
________ 6. The cakes were all baked by Wendy herself.
________ 7. The other actors cheered for IU and found
themselves in awe of her grace.
________ 8. Jerry was quite happy with himself as he admired
his handiwork.
________ 9. Kai himself choreographed his dance break in the
showcase.
________ 10. You think of yourselves pretty highly, don’t you?
ANTONYM
S AS
CONTEXT
CLUES
Antonyms are words which have
opposite meanings. We can use
antonyms to identify the meaning of
unfamiliar words.
Examples:
Marty is gregarious, unlike his brother
who is quiet and shy.

■ Gregarious is the unfamiliar word. Using

antonyms as context clues, the word could mean
“sociable, outgoing, or friendly”.
Examples:
This painting of the landscape is picturesque,
while the one with the old house is plain ugly.

■ Picturesque is the unfamiliar word. Using antonyms as

context clues, the word could mean “visually attractive,
pretty, scenic, or beautiful”.
THE GERMAN
EPIC
Nibelungenlied
Introduction
■ Following the fall of Rome, Europe slipped
back almost into savagery. This was called
Dark Ages.
■ These Dark Ages gave way to the Middle
Ages, where civilization gradually progressed
back. Roman culture did not completely
perish. However, very little survived.
Middle Ages
■ Roman civilization survived through the Catholic Church.
■ Progress made during the Middle Ages was more
educational. Universities appeared during this time
(Bologna, Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, Salamanca,
Heidelberg)
■ An age of epics.
Reading the Epic
■ The epic was a major literary type. It is considered the
earliest form to appear, and has its basis in prehistory.
■ Most common theme is war, “a narrative in verse full of
warlike adventures”.
■ Its hero remains an individual, although he rises above
average human stature. An epic hero is someone that
represents something greater than itself – a nation,
people, and faith.
BEOWULF
■ Oldest known English Epic, relates the
events dating back to A.D. 520.
■ This epic gives us a picture of a stage of
civilization earlier than any other epic.
A number of epics were made during the
Middle Ages, but only four are standouts as
major epics.
■ Nibelungenlied – Germany
■ Song of Roland – France
■ El Cid – Spain
■ The Divine Comedy – Italy