Week 2: Apollonian/Dionysian Greeks

Monday 10

Nietzsche 1-15, on the Apollinian and Dionysian. Naive art (Homer and Raphael. Archilochus brings a new Dionysian moment, then tragedy brings Dionysus and Apollo together in Aeschylus (Prometheus, in particular, whose unchained form decorated Nietzsche' title page), Sophocles (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone, who is paired with Cassandra from Aeschylus's Agamemnon).  Euripides and Socrates then form a third stage, back to unbalanced Apollinian optimism. In the background, Schopenhauer's philosophical pessimism and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in which Nietzsche served as a medic until sent home on medical leave. One big question: How are Byron and Nietzsche’s views of Greece different from or similar to those of “native Greeks”? 

Paper due. Apollonian/Dionysian (Germans and Greeks): look at some Cavafy

Finish Cavafy (Keeley/Sherrard too?); Kazantzakis—

Tue. 11

20^th cent.: catastrophe and Alexandrianism

Kazantzakis, Zorba,  Gallant Ch. 7

Wed. 12

Kazantzakis

Kazantzakis; Song: Pote tha kamei xasteria--Cretan heroics (hear it sung);  Gallant Ch. 8

Thur. 13

Kazantzakis: ethnicity, religion, gender, etc. 

 Pizza and a movie: Kakoyannis's "Zorba the Greek"

Lorna Goodison reading 7:00 McHugh: e-journal responses

Sikelianos, Karyotakis, Seferis (MGW plus photocopy)

Fri. 14

The 20^th century

Over weekend: start Henry Miller, WRITE A PAPER – Dionysian/Apollonian