Workshops organized by the Emmy-Noether group in Heidelberg
During our particles project, we have organized a series of three workshops on several aspects of the language of ancient Greek texts, each on a different part of our research corpus. In November 2011, we discussed Herodotus and Thucydides; in May 2012, we focused on Homer and Pindar; and in November 2012, we delved into tragedy and comedy. Each meeting involved the presentation and discussion of different kinds of observations on selected passages within a small group of participants. We have enjoyed fruitful discussions by bringing together scholars from different areas of expertise. The workshops were held at the ‘Internationales Wissenschaftsforum Heidelberg’ (www.iwh.uni-hd.de).
20-22 November, 2011
Vividness Through Variety
Narrative Discontinuities in Herodotus and Thucydides
The core idea of this workshop was to discuss some chapters from Herodotus and Thucydides with a group of scholars who work on those authors and are keen on/curious about the linguistic ‘layout’ of historiography. The focus of interest was the discourse strategies enacted by the two authors to tell and to comment on events, the underlying conviction being that only a comprehensive analysis of historical and literary aspects can illuminate any observation on linguistic choices or tendencies.
See the IWH for more information.
Speakers: Jonas Grethlein, Andreas Schwab, and William Furley (University of Heidelberg); Rutger Allan (VU University Amsterdam); Egbert Bakker (Yale University); Tim Rood (Oxford University); Pietro Vannicelli (La Sapienza, Rome).
5-7 May, 2012
The Story Teller’s Path
Particles and Discourse Organization in Homer and Pindar
Bringing together classicists from different geographic and scholarly backgrounds, the aim of this workshop was to shed new light on how the genius of these two story tellers is reflected in the language of their compositions.
Particles have been called roadsigns; this characterization is especially apt for Greek particles, since Greeks use the metaphor of a path to describe how they tell stories, and they might have extended it to apply to the entire language. Investigating these ‘roadsigns’ may lead to a better appreciation of how Homer and Pindar set up, frame, and give form to their stories with all the linguistic means at their disposal.
See the IWH for more information.
Speakers: Ronald Blankenborg (Radboud University Nijmegen), Anna Bonifazi (University of Heidelberg), David Bouvier (University of Lausanne), Ettore Cingano (Ca’ Foscari University, Venice), Giambattista D’Alessio (King’s College, London), Elizabeth Minchin (Australian National University, Canberra), Athanassios Vergados (University of Heidelberg).
16-18 November, 2012
Word Play
Ancient Greek Drama and the Role of Particles
Classical tragedies and comedies were written to be acted out in the theatre, to be performed; but the only thing left to us is their words. By focusing on this dramatic language, and more specifically on the role of particles, we hope to learn more about the interaction between performance and linguistic strategies in the plays.
Speakers are invited to present a close reading of a passage from Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, or Aristophanes. Possible topics of interest are: the turn-taking practices of dramatic discourse, the interaction between characters, the verbalization of emotions, register switches, the factor of the ‘body’ on stage, and the relevance of theatrical space.
See the IWH for more information.
Speakers: Luigi Battezzato (Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale), Anton Bierl (Universität Basel), Andrea Capra (Milan State University), Evert van Emde Boas (University of Groningen/Leiden University), Conor Hanratty (independent researcher), David Kovacs (University of Virginia), Willeon Slenders (Radboud University Nijmegen), Laura Swift (University College London), Andreas Willi (Oxford University), Nancy Worman (Columbia University, New York).
