Faculty Colloquium: Ortwin Knorr

Please join us on Friday, September 20th, at 3 p.m. in Ford 102 for our second Faculty Colloquium of this semester.

Presenter: Ortwin Knorr, Associate Professor of Classics Ortwin Knorr

Title: “Suppressed Desire: The Latin Poetess Sulpicia and her Poetry of Love” ([Tib]. 3.13-18)

Abstract: The six slender elegies of Sulpicia, a mere 40 lines, are justly famous as the only surviving Latin poems written by a female poet. In the past, critics have tended to dismiss her work as the clumsy products of a woman amateur (Smith 1913, Tränkle 1980). More recently, this has begun to change as scholars such as Santirocco 1979, Hinds 1987, and Keith 1997 have pointed out Sulpicia’s artistry and her clever play with the conventions of male Love Elegy. Nevertheless, aspects of Sulpicia’s art remain only partially understood. Most importantly, the very way in which Sulpicia has arranged her poems means that, on the one hand, we get to see tantalizing glimpses of her scandalous love affair but, on the other hand, she also communicates how she successfully manages to suppress her desire, just as Roman society would expect a young woman of the upper classes to do.

Students are welcome and coffee and treats will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there.

Bill Kelm and Stephen Patterson
Faculty Colloquium Coordinators