The introduction to the project

I’d like to introduce you to the project "CATULLUS: LOVE AND POETRY" which draws together much of the work the third year of Latin and I did this year.

The aim of the project was to understand Catullus’ love poetry of in order to examine, through the texts, the poet’s personality ("CATULLUS’ LIFE (84-54 B.C.)", " CATULLUS’ PORTRAIT"), Lesbia’s way of life ("LESBIA’S INTRODUCTORY CARD", " LESBIA IN CATULLUS’ VIEW", " CLODIA IN CICERO’S VIEW"), some linguistic and stylistic characterizations of the author ("CATULLUS' USE OF DIFFERENT LANGUAGE FORM", "LINGUISTIC FILE", "CATULLUS' USE OF DIFFERENT STYLE FORMS", "STYLISTIC FILE" and "KEY WORDS") and "CATULLUS' POETRY: PART OF AN INTERLINKING POETICAL SYSTEM".

The first chapters by Sallustius "De coniuratione Catilinae" (from the first to the thirteenth) helped us to develop a clearer understanding of "THE ROMAN SOCIETY BEFORE THE BIG CONQUESTS ( II CENTURY B.C.)" and especially of "SOCIAL CHANGES IN VALUES BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THE FIRST CENTURY B.C.; whilst some extracts of Livy’s history, of Valerius Maximus’ work and from Sallustius "De coniuratione Catilinae have introduced us to "THE CONFORMIST WOMAN AND THE INDEPENDENT WOMAN".

The class went into some questions also with the help of some Internet resources that we found. We listed them on a special page devoted to THE RESOURCES WHICH WE HAD VISITED.

All the illustrations were taken by a pupil of mine, F. Magalini, during the visit to Catullus’ villa in June 1999 ("TRIP TO CATULLUS’ VILLA").

My sincere thanks go to my colleague Antonella Pisani who has been so kind as to correct this work, in such a way as to leave it in its original style, whilst correcting the most important errors.

Licia Landi