Christopher Star
Professor of Classics
- Office
- Twilight Hall 214
- Tel
- (802) 443-5910
- cstar@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- F23 T 12:30-1:30, F 12:30-1:30, and by appointment
- Additional Programs
- Classics and Classical Studies
I received degrees in Classics from Bates College (BA), the University of Cambridge (MPhil) and the University of Chicago (PhD). I also studied at the Humboldt University in Berlin. My teaching and research focus on the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. My long-standing interests lie in considering how the Romans came to grips with the transition from freedom to autocracy, how this transition shaped their concept of the self, and how their ideas continue to inform modern debates. My first book, The Empire of the Self, looks at the relationship between two of the emperor Nero’s advisors, the Stoic philosopher and dramatist Lucius Annaeus Seneca, and Petronius, the author of the proto-novel the Satyricon. I have also written Seneca, an introduction to his life, works and legacy, the first of its kind in English in several years.
My current research focuses on eschatology and accounts of global catastrophe. I have published Apocalypse and Golden Age: The End of the World in Greek and Roman Thought. I am also working with the inaugural Humanities Research Seminar on the topic, “Crisis, Catastrophe, and Recovery.” Supported by a grant from midd.data, I am developing a digital project that documents and analyzes the history and uses of the word “apocalypse” from ancient Greece to contemporary media.
You can listen to an interview I gave to VPR on Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, and her newly renovated statue atop the Vermont State House.
Courses Taught
CLAS 0143
Rise & Fall of Roman Republic
Course Description
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic
This course is an introduction to the literature, politics, culture and history of the Roman Republic (c.509-31BCE) - a period which saw Rome grow from a small city on the Tiber to the supreme power in the Mediterranean, and also saw the development of Latin literature. Our readings cover a broad variety of literary genres and authors: comedy (Plautus and Terence), lyric (Catullus), epic (Ennius), political speeches and letters (Cicero), history (Caesar, Sallust, Polybius), and didactic philosophy (Lucretius). As we read we will be careful to investigate how these texts present different and often conflicting ideas of what it means to be Roman, as well as how different ideologies of Rome compete throughout each work. 3 hrs. lect. 1hr. disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
CLAS 0144
Literature of the Roman Empire
Course Description
Literature of the Roman Empire
In this course we will investigate the literature, culture, and history of the Roman Empire, focusing on how Romans sought, often at the cost of their own lives, to define the role and powers of the emperor and their place as subjects to this new, autocratic power. Texts we will read include: epic (Lucan), tragedy (Seneca), history (Tacitus), biography (Suetonius), prose fiction (Petronius), as well as early Christian literature. As we read we will seek to answer questions about the nature of freedom and empire, what is gained and lost by replacing a republican with an autocratic political system, and whether literature in this period can offer an accurate reflection of reality, function as an instrument of change and protest, or of fearful praise and flattery. 3 hrs lect. 1 hr. disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
CLAS 0276
Current
Roman Philosophy
Course Description
Roman Philosophy
In this course we will seek to answer the question of what is Roman philosophy - philosophia togata. Is it simply Greek philosophy in Roman dress? Or, while based in its Greek origins, does it grow to have a distinctive and rigorous character of its own, designed and developed to focus on uniquely "Roman" questions and problems, in particular, ethical, social, and political questions? We will investigate how some of the main schools of Hellenistic Greek thought came to be developed in Latin: Epicureanism (Lucretius), Academic Skepticism (Cicero), and Stoicism (Seneca). As we read we will investigate how each school offers different answers to crucial questions such as what is the goal of life? What is the highest good? Should one take part in politics or not? What is the nature of the soul? What is the nature of Nature itself? Is there an afterlife? Can we ever have a certain answer to any of these questions? 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
CLAS 0321
Upcoming
Apocalypse When?
Course Description
Apocalypse When? Reason and Revelation in the Ancient World
Apocalypse: why does this word, originally meaning “revelation,” hold such power today? In this class we will investigate the origins of apocalyptic and eschatological thought in order to understand Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Christian ideas about the end of the world in their historical context and to see how they shape contemporary visions of the end. We will read and discuss a wide range of texts, including Hesiod, Plato, Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca, and Daniel and Revelation from the Bible. The ways in which globalization and political leaders have shaped apocalyptic thought from ancient times to today will be an area of particular focus. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
CLAS 0420
Sem in Classical Lit Sophocles
Course Description
Seminar in Classical Literature: Sophocles
The life of the tragic playwright Sophocles spans the Athenian 5th century BCE – from the Persian Wars to the defeat of Athens by Sparta. It thus coincides with Athens’ incredible intellectual and artistic achievements, its increasingly radical democracy, but also its ever more aggressive foreign policy. Against this background, Sophocles’ tragedies probe the mysteries of the soul, both of the individual and of the community, and confront the riddle of the human existence. In this seminar we will study closely Sophocles’ seven surviving plays as astute responses to their historical context and as poignant reflections on the human condition. Time permitting, we will also consider their profound impact on later thought and art, including opera and film. 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
CLAS 0500
Current
Upcoming
Independent Study
Course Description
Independent Study
(Approval required)
Terms Taught
CLAS 0505
Current
Upcoming
Ind Senior Project
Course Description
(Approval Required)
Terms Taught
CLAS 0700
Current
Upcoming
Sr Essay Classics/Cy
Course Description
Senior Essay for Classics/Classical Studies Majors
(Approval required)
Terms Taught
FYSE 1024
Shakespeare's Rome
Course Description
Shakespeare's Rome
Throughout his career, William Shakespeare wrote several plays set in ancient Rome. Why did he and his contemporaries find the dramatization of events from Roman history so appealing? Why do we continue to do so today? In order to address these questions, we will read Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus. We will also consider Shakespeare’s ancient sources, such as Senecan drama and Plutarch’s biographies, as well as contemporary stage and film adaptations. In addition to exploring the complex ways in which Rome has served as a mirror for later cultures, we will pay close attention to the relationship between republic and autocracy, public and private life, and drama and history.
Terms Taught
Requirements
GREK 0301
Current
Readings in Greek Literature I
Course Description
Readings in Greek Literature I
Readings in major authors. Students should have had some formal study of Greek and should consult with the instructor during the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
LATN 0101
Beginning Latin
Course Description
Beginning Latin I
The course offers an intensive introduction to the Latin language that prepares students to read the major authors of ancient Roman literature. In addition to their systematic study of grammar and syntax, students translate excerpts from Vergil, Seneca and the Vulgate Bible. This course is designed for students who have had no previous experience with Latin, as well as those who have had some Latin but want to review the fundamentals of grammar.
Terms Taught
Requirements
LATN 0110
Introduction to College Latin
Course Description
Introduction to College Latin
This course is designed for students with one to four years of high school Latin who are interested in continuing their study of the language. The course combines review of grammar and practice in translation; the aim is to improve reading skills and understanding of the language. Students may expect to join a 0200- or 0300-level Latin course the following spring. We will use both a textbook and readings from authors such as Cicero and Livy. (Prerequisites: Students should have had some formal study of Latin and should consult with the instructor during orientation week or the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level.) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
LATN 0202
Intermediate Latin: Poetry
Course Description
Intermediate Latin: Poetry
Readings in major authors. Students should have had some formal study of Latin and should consult with the instructor during the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
LATN 0302
Readings Latin Literature II
Course Description
Readings in Latin Literature II: Vergil’s Aeneid*
Readings in major authors. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
LATN 0402
Upcoming
Advanced Readings in Latin II
Course Description
Advanced Readings in Latin II
Readings in major authors. . Students should have had some formal study of Latin and should consult with the instructor during the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
LATN 0501
Adv Readings in Latin III
Course Description
Advanced Readings in Latin III
Readings in major authors. Students should have had some formal study of Latin and should consult with the instructor during the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level. 3 hrs lect.
Terms Taught