CLASSICS 12L: Intermediate Latin: Seneca's Dialogues

Course Description

Seneca is one of the most popular and widely quoted authors in Latin literature. Why? In this course, we'll try to answer that question by reading and analyzing two key works of Seneca's prose: De brevitate vitae (On the Shortness of Life) and De otio (On Leisure). Both dialogues address major existential questions that run throughout Seneca's philosophical writing. De brevitate vitae asks why we waste time even though it is our most precious resource - and how we might reclaim it. In De otio, Seneca explores the tension between civic engagement and private withdrawal, arguing that the latter can be not only legitimate but even more beneficial than the former. Our focus will be on the relationship between style and thought in these works. Through close analysis of vocabulary and syntax, we'll examine how Seneca's style is not merely ornamental but central to his philosophical vision. In doing so, the course aims to help you develop a more nuanced command of Latin: moving beyond basic comprehension toward a deeper understanding of stylistic and rhetorical technique in literary prose. Classics majors and minors must take the course for a letter grade. Classics majors and minors may repeat for degree credit with advance approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies.