The bottom line of the seminar is to provide a hermeneutical introduction to the readings of the Homer’s Odyssey, Vergil’s Aeneis and Dante’s Divine Comedy. Traditionally, the good knowledge of these books used to be the corner stones of the culture and education in the West, however, they seem to be often obscure, over-complicated, strange and even bizarre to the mind of the modern man. The seminar especially focuses on an outline of the conceptions of the underworld and afterlife as can be found in these poets. The point of departure is the assumption there is essential unity and coherence of such vision thorough spiritual history of the West, nevertheless, there are also constant re-evaluations of the related concepts as divine justice, eternal punishment or mortal sin, founded in the metamorphosis of the relationship between the humans and gods. Beginning with the Homer’s Odyssey book XI., the emergence of the so-called moral religion can be observed, and gods become more and more involved in the human affairs and gradually ceased to be the splendid and exalted divine beings indifferent to the human categories of good and evil. Even profound change can be found in the book VI. of the Vergil’s Aenesis, and the process is finished in the catholic conception of Inferno and especially Purgatory, vividly described in the Dante’s Divine Comedy.

The bottom line of the seminar is to provide a hermeneutical introduction to the readings of the Homer’s Odyssey, Vergil’s Aeneis and Dante’s Divine Comedy. Traditionally, the good knowledge of these books used to be the corner stones of the culture and education in the West, however, they seem to be often obscure, over-complicated, strange and even bizarre to the mind of the modern man. The seminar especially focuses on an outline of the conceptions of the underworld and afterlife as can be found in these poets. The point of departure is the assumption there is essential unity and coherence of such vision thorough spiritual history of the West, nevertheless, there are also constant re-evaluations of the related concepts as divine justice, eternal punishment or mortal sin, founded in the metamorphosis of the relationship between the humans and gods. Beginning with the Homer’s Odyssey book XI., the emergence of the so-called moral religion can be observed, and gods become more and more involved in the human affairs and gradually ceased to be the splendid and exalted divine beings indifferent to the human categories of good and evil. Even profound change can be found in the book VI. of the Vergil’s Aenesis, and the process is finished in the catholic conception of Inferno and especially Purgatory, vividly described in the Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Povinná:

• Homer. The Odyssey. Books 1-12. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998, 481 s. ISBN 0674995619.
• Homer. The Odyssey, Books 13-24. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995, 476 s. ISBN 0674995627.
• Virgil. Eclogues ; Georgics ; Aeneid, 1-6. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999, 597 s. ISBN 067499583X.
• Durling, R. M., Martinez, R. L.. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 1: Inferno. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, 672 s. ISBN 9780199879823.

Doporučená:

• Kirkpatrick, Robin. Dante Divine Comedy: A student Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, 118 s. ISBN 0521539943.
• de Jong, Irene. A narratological commentary on the Odyssey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, 627 s. ISBN 9780511482137.
• Dods, Marcus. Forerunners of Dante : an account of some of the more important visions of the unseen world, from the earliest times. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1903, 275 s. ISBN .
• Moevs, Christian. The Metaphysics of Dante’s Comedy. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2005, 336 s. ISBN 9780199835430.
• Clausen, Wendell. A commentary on Virgil Eclogues. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994, 328 s. ISBN 0198150350.

22 Feb Homer I. Introduction, authorship, composition and structure of Homer’s poems, their mutual relationship and brief summary

1 March Homer II. Il 18, 478-608 — Homer’s cosmography, shield of Achilles

8 March Homer III. Soul and body in Homer’s poems

15 March Homer IV. Il 9, 1-420 — Heroic moral code of Iliad

22 March Homer V. Od 11— Nekiya, fate of the soul in Hades

29 March Vergil’s Fourth eclogue and Christianity

31 March: Dante I. Introduction, Dante and his time, medieval cosmography

5 April: Dante II. Inf I. — Dark wood, three beasts, Vergil and hound    

12 April: Dante III. Inf III-IV — Gate of Hell and Limbus

19 April: Dante IV. Inf XXXIV — Ninth circle of Hell     

26 April: Dante V. Pur I — Classification of mortal sins and system of Purgatory

3 May: Dante VI. Par XXXII — Celestial paradise and Empyreum

10 May Dante VII. Par XXXIII — Raptus and the vision of Holy Trinity

16 May Final examination

22 Feb Homer I. Introduction, authorship, composition and structure of Homer’s poems, their mutual relationship and brief summary

1 March Homer II. Il 18, 478-608 — Homer’s cosmography, shield of Achilles

8 March Homer III. Soul and body in Homer’s poems

15 March Homer IV. Il 9, 1-420 — Heroic moral code of Iliad

22 March Homer V. Od 11— Nekiya, fate of the soul in Hades

29 March Vergil’s Fourth eclogue and Christianity

5 April: Dante I. Introduction, Dante and his time, Inf I. — Dark wood, three beasts, Vergil and hound    

12 April: Dante III. Inf III-IV — Gate of Hell and Limbus

19 April: Dante IV. Inf XXXIV — Ninth circle of Hell     

26 April: Dante V. Pur I — Classification of mortal sins and system of Purgatory

3 May: Dante VI. Par XXXII — Celestial paradise and Empyreum

10 May Dante VII. Par XXXIII — Raptus and the vision of Holy Trinity

16 May (Monday) Final examination

The final test will consist from 20 open questions both from obligatory readings and from commentaries presented on the seminar. It is strongly recommended to read through both Homeric poems, Vergil’s Aenesis and Divine Comedy, however, the obligatory minimum to pass the final test is to know the entire Odyssey, Aeneis book VI. and Dante’s Inferno.

The final test will consist from 20 open questions both from obligatory readings and from commentaries presented on the seminar. It is strongly recommended to read through both Homeric poems, Vergil’s Aenesis and Divine Comedy, however, the obligatory minimum to pass the final test is to know the entire Odyssey, Aeneis book VI. and Dante’s Inferno.