Jo-Marie Claassen | Stellenbosch University (original) (raw)
Papers by Jo-Marie Claassen
Scholia: Studies in Classical Antiquity, 2006
Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the... more Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the eighth century to about the fourth BC, but devotes one chapter to exile in Greek myth. In all eras she makes detailed use of case studies to prove her point. Exile is a political tool. It works to curb the power of the really or potentially powerful. Forsdyke has coined the term 'the politics of exile' to cover both exile as a form of political pre-emption or retribution and the internal manoeuvring that was practised after their flight into a distant land by those members of the Greek elite who hoped ultimately to return for political vindication.
Latomus: revue d'études latines, 1996
The Classical Journal, Sep 30, 2023
Scholia : Studies in Classical Antiquity, 2006
Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the... more Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the eighth century to about the fourth BC, but devotes one chapter to exile in Greek myth. In all eras she makes detailed use of case studies to prove her point. Exile is a political tool. It works to curb the power of the really or potentially powerful. Forsdyke has coined the term 'the politics of exile' to cover both exile as a form of political pre-emption or retribution and the internal manoeuvring that was practised after their flight into a distant land by those members of the Greek elite who hoped ultimately to return for political vindication.
Journal of Roman Studies, 2000
Helios, 2007
Manlius Anicius Severinus Boethius composed the Consolatio philosophiae in the first quarter of t... more Manlius Anicius Severinus Boethius composed the Consolatio philosophiae in the first quarter of the sixth century C.E., while the ex-consul was exiled from Rome, probably imprisoned at Pavia and awaiting execution. Boethius was a victim of the complex politics of his time that set the Orthodox East against the Arian West. 1 Both classicists and medievalists find the polymath Boethius of interest. 2 He was not a great original thinker but, along with Cicero, is considered the purveyor of Greek philosophy to the Latin West. Boethius's writings on philosophy, mathematics, music, and theology stretch over a wide spectrum of disciplines, culminating in the Consolatio. 3 The work comprises a mélange not only of philosophical views but also of allusions to virtually the whole of the classical canon, including the major poets of the Augustan era. In the main it reflects Platonic thought on the nature of God and the relative merits of Free Will versus Providence, 4 and portrays the fall from grace and the recovery of its author in the guise of reminiscences about the visitation of the allegorical figure of Philosophy herself, who, as mentor and physician, brings her lapsed adherent back to full recollection (anamnesis) of her healing and sustaining precepts in an extended dialectic. We may assume that throughout the text "Dame Philosophy" and her "pupil" are both mouthpieces for the philosopher's own inner struggle to come to terms with his lot. That is, the creative author reports in the words of the prisoner what he himself as historical personage feels or has felt and, in the words of Philosophy, what he knows he should be thinking. 5 In his political fall and banishment from Rome, Boethius may appear to resemble the famous exiles of an earlier era, Cicero, Ovid, and Seneca, but in circumstances and general mindset he seems a world removed from all three, Ovid in particular. Yet it is my intention here to consider possible Ovidian influence in the manner in which Boethius treats the topic of amor. Specifically I try to answer the question as to what degree Boethius's concept of amor in various key poems agrees with, or opposes,
African Minds eBooks, Oct 12, 2022
Akroterion, Mar 30, 2014
GIRLS WIN COMPUTERS IN LATIN OLYMPIAD The two top Latin pupils in the country are both girls, but... more GIRLS WIN COMPUTERS IN LATIN OLYMPIAD The two top Latin pupils in the country are both girls, but boys were also well represented at the CASA's Latin Olympiad prizewinners' party held in the Michaelis Gallery;~ Cape Town on Friday evening (9 August).
International Journal of The Classical Tradition, Dec 1, 2011
Cicero in Letters is a major landmark in the study of Ciceronian letters, and a book that belongs... more Cicero in Letters is a major landmark in the study of Ciceronian letters, and a book that belongs in the personal libraries of all scholars interested in the fields of Cicero and ancient letters. Building on and extending the seminal work of D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Peter White meticulously analyzes the massive corpus of extant Ciceronian letters, focusing on how the letters function as a form of social media, as it were, constructing and maintaining Cicero's personal networks. Although White engages to a certain degree with sociolinguistic method, the general approach of the book is philological, concerned primarily with close reading of individual letters, analysis of the editorial process that gave form to the extant collect, prosopography, and historical reconstruction of letters' functions as part of the reciprocity systems embedded in elite Roman networks of amicitia. Cicero in Letters, available in hardcover, softcover and electronic versions, consists of a preface, six chapters, an afterword, two appendices, notes, bibliography and indices. The main body of the book is divided into two major parts. "Part I: Reading the Letters from the Outside In" (83 pages) consists of three chapters focusing on the form and context of Cicero's letters, "1. Constraints and Biases in Roman Letter Writing," "2. The Editing of the Collection," and "3. Frames of the Letter." Next is "Part II: Epistolary Preoccupations" (76 pages), comprised of three chapters emphasizing the content of the letters, "4. The Letters and Literature," "5. Giving and Getting Advice by Letter," and "6. Letter Writing and Leadership." The organization of the book is thematic rather than strictly analytical, and the approach, despite meticulous scholarship, more exploratory and essayistic than scientific or argumentative. All Ciceronian passages are quoted both in Latin and in the author's own translations. The translations are generally accurate and readable, and the writing style of both White's text and translations is accessible to the non-specialist. The first chapter, "Reading the Letters from the Outside In," sets letter writing within its social and generic context. It exemplifies ways in which
Journal of Roman Studies, Nov 1, 2000
Wiley-Blackwell eBooks, May 1, 2009
Acta Classica, 2018
Review of a translation of the Odyssey into South African English, which is slightly different fr... more Review of a translation of the Odyssey into South African English, which is slightly different from standard English.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Sep 27, 2017
Classical Review, Mar 24, 2006
The Classical Journal, 2017
The poet Cornelius Gallus may be termed the “first exiled poet” of the Augustan regime, although ... more The poet Cornelius Gallus may be termed the “first exiled poet” of the Augustan regime, although his banishment from Augustus' circle of friends (between 29 and 26 BCE) was probably political. He subsequently committed suicide and possibly underwent damnatio memoriae. In exile, Ovid appears to be consciously featuring allusions to Gallus. This paper examines some examples of such allusion that throw light on Ovid's relationship with Augustus. Most of what Gallus wrote is lost, so that sources available for comparison are relatively slight. Yet Ovid's exilic reception of Gallus, as far as it can be ascertained from comparison of his exilic oeuvre with the small Gallan corpus, casts an interesting light on the poet-prince relationship.
Antike Und Abendland, 1988
Ovid's Poems from Exile The Creation of a Myth and the Triumph of Poetry* The question of the int... more Ovid's Poems from Exile The Creation of a Myth and the Triumph of Poetry* The question of the interpretation of Ovid's poetry of exile is complex. Ovidian research has been much affected by the «historicist approach» 1. Controversy has long raged about how much of what Ovid says in his ostensibly biographical poetry, both the erotic and the exilic, can be taken as literally true or «sincere». Critics, particularly those lacking in a sense of humour, have labelled him «shallow», or «insincere», usually in a deleterious comparison with a predecessor or contemporary. Criticism has of late, however, tended to modify this approach. Ulrich Müller in an aptly-entitled article («Lügende Dichter») 2 points out that poetic fiction stands somewhere between poetic reality and historical reality. To Müller, Ovid's approach to truth is Aristotelian, portraying potentiality, rather than actuality. In modern idiom, Ovid's «sincerity» is not necessarily based on «factual reality» 3. Ovid addressed himself to this same problem in Tristia 2.352-442 in an elaborate defense of his art as opposed to his life 4. A problem that has beset Ovidian criticism has been that even individual critics do not react in the same way to the poet's various works. Historicists tended to doubt the «sincerity» or «factual truth» of the Amoves, but turned around and accepted as literal fact all that the poet chose to represent in the exilic poetry 5. Critics with a more literary bent tended to judge the erotic and * Gratitude is expressed to the University of Stellenbosch for sabbatical leave during 1985, and to the Universities of Texas at Austin, U.S.A., and Cambridge, England, for hospitality to a visiting scholar, and the use of their extensive library facilities. An earlier draft of this paper was first read at the 17th Biennial Conference of the Classical Association of South Africa. Thanks to colleagues at that meeting, and to Miss E. Paterson of Pietermaritzburg and an anonymous reader, also to the editors of Antike und Abendland, for helpful comments. Thanks also to the HSRCfor financial support. All references to journals in the notes below are abbreviated according to the system followed by L'Annee Philologique. 1 W.B. Stanford, Enemies of poetry (London, 1980) decries critics who «have adopted the factualistic belief that poetry is essentially a subspecies of history-history in fancy dress or primitive history».
The paper explores practical strategies for using classical studies to enhance the education of a... more The paper explores practical strategies for using classical studies to enhance the education of adolescent students, especially those who are gifted. It reviews progress, since 1900, in Latin teaching methods in Great Britain and the Netherlands and describes more recent work in South Africa, including the development of new curricula for teaching Latin as well as the annual reading competitions, linguistic and historical quizzes, and art competitions sponsored by the Classical Association of South Africa. A project is described in which 20 gifted students (aged 13-17) were asked to review new juvenile classical books and teaching packets. It spawned a range of other projects which are summarized. The students produced a slide-tape show, the full script of which is appended to the paper. The book and teaching packet reviews were edited by a student and reworked by the teacher in a review article which isalso appended. Conclusions drawn from the project confirm that the classics have much to offer the gifted and that they also offer a new awareness that even random dippiw-into the classical world is a rewarding experience for both average and gifted pupils. (VW)
Scholia: Studies in Classical Antiquity, 2006
Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the... more Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the eighth century to about the fourth BC, but devotes one chapter to exile in Greek myth. In all eras she makes detailed use of case studies to prove her point. Exile is a political tool. It works to curb the power of the really or potentially powerful. Forsdyke has coined the term 'the politics of exile' to cover both exile as a form of political pre-emption or retribution and the internal manoeuvring that was practised after their flight into a distant land by those members of the Greek elite who hoped ultimately to return for political vindication.
Latomus: revue d'études latines, 1996
The Classical Journal, Sep 30, 2023
Scholia : Studies in Classical Antiquity, 2006
Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the... more Sara Forsdyke covers the uses and abuses of exile as a political tool in the Greek world from the eighth century to about the fourth BC, but devotes one chapter to exile in Greek myth. In all eras she makes detailed use of case studies to prove her point. Exile is a political tool. It works to curb the power of the really or potentially powerful. Forsdyke has coined the term 'the politics of exile' to cover both exile as a form of political pre-emption or retribution and the internal manoeuvring that was practised after their flight into a distant land by those members of the Greek elite who hoped ultimately to return for political vindication.
Journal of Roman Studies, 2000
Helios, 2007
Manlius Anicius Severinus Boethius composed the Consolatio philosophiae in the first quarter of t... more Manlius Anicius Severinus Boethius composed the Consolatio philosophiae in the first quarter of the sixth century C.E., while the ex-consul was exiled from Rome, probably imprisoned at Pavia and awaiting execution. Boethius was a victim of the complex politics of his time that set the Orthodox East against the Arian West. 1 Both classicists and medievalists find the polymath Boethius of interest. 2 He was not a great original thinker but, along with Cicero, is considered the purveyor of Greek philosophy to the Latin West. Boethius's writings on philosophy, mathematics, music, and theology stretch over a wide spectrum of disciplines, culminating in the Consolatio. 3 The work comprises a mélange not only of philosophical views but also of allusions to virtually the whole of the classical canon, including the major poets of the Augustan era. In the main it reflects Platonic thought on the nature of God and the relative merits of Free Will versus Providence, 4 and portrays the fall from grace and the recovery of its author in the guise of reminiscences about the visitation of the allegorical figure of Philosophy herself, who, as mentor and physician, brings her lapsed adherent back to full recollection (anamnesis) of her healing and sustaining precepts in an extended dialectic. We may assume that throughout the text "Dame Philosophy" and her "pupil" are both mouthpieces for the philosopher's own inner struggle to come to terms with his lot. That is, the creative author reports in the words of the prisoner what he himself as historical personage feels or has felt and, in the words of Philosophy, what he knows he should be thinking. 5 In his political fall and banishment from Rome, Boethius may appear to resemble the famous exiles of an earlier era, Cicero, Ovid, and Seneca, but in circumstances and general mindset he seems a world removed from all three, Ovid in particular. Yet it is my intention here to consider possible Ovidian influence in the manner in which Boethius treats the topic of amor. Specifically I try to answer the question as to what degree Boethius's concept of amor in various key poems agrees with, or opposes,
African Minds eBooks, Oct 12, 2022
Akroterion, Mar 30, 2014
GIRLS WIN COMPUTERS IN LATIN OLYMPIAD The two top Latin pupils in the country are both girls, but... more GIRLS WIN COMPUTERS IN LATIN OLYMPIAD The two top Latin pupils in the country are both girls, but boys were also well represented at the CASA's Latin Olympiad prizewinners' party held in the Michaelis Gallery;~ Cape Town on Friday evening (9 August).
International Journal of The Classical Tradition, Dec 1, 2011
Cicero in Letters is a major landmark in the study of Ciceronian letters, and a book that belongs... more Cicero in Letters is a major landmark in the study of Ciceronian letters, and a book that belongs in the personal libraries of all scholars interested in the fields of Cicero and ancient letters. Building on and extending the seminal work of D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Peter White meticulously analyzes the massive corpus of extant Ciceronian letters, focusing on how the letters function as a form of social media, as it were, constructing and maintaining Cicero's personal networks. Although White engages to a certain degree with sociolinguistic method, the general approach of the book is philological, concerned primarily with close reading of individual letters, analysis of the editorial process that gave form to the extant collect, prosopography, and historical reconstruction of letters' functions as part of the reciprocity systems embedded in elite Roman networks of amicitia. Cicero in Letters, available in hardcover, softcover and electronic versions, consists of a preface, six chapters, an afterword, two appendices, notes, bibliography and indices. The main body of the book is divided into two major parts. "Part I: Reading the Letters from the Outside In" (83 pages) consists of three chapters focusing on the form and context of Cicero's letters, "1. Constraints and Biases in Roman Letter Writing," "2. The Editing of the Collection," and "3. Frames of the Letter." Next is "Part II: Epistolary Preoccupations" (76 pages), comprised of three chapters emphasizing the content of the letters, "4. The Letters and Literature," "5. Giving and Getting Advice by Letter," and "6. Letter Writing and Leadership." The organization of the book is thematic rather than strictly analytical, and the approach, despite meticulous scholarship, more exploratory and essayistic than scientific or argumentative. All Ciceronian passages are quoted both in Latin and in the author's own translations. The translations are generally accurate and readable, and the writing style of both White's text and translations is accessible to the non-specialist. The first chapter, "Reading the Letters from the Outside In," sets letter writing within its social and generic context. It exemplifies ways in which
Journal of Roman Studies, Nov 1, 2000
Wiley-Blackwell eBooks, May 1, 2009
Acta Classica, 2018
Review of a translation of the Odyssey into South African English, which is slightly different fr... more Review of a translation of the Odyssey into South African English, which is slightly different from standard English.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Sep 27, 2017
Classical Review, Mar 24, 2006
The Classical Journal, 2017
The poet Cornelius Gallus may be termed the “first exiled poet” of the Augustan regime, although ... more The poet Cornelius Gallus may be termed the “first exiled poet” of the Augustan regime, although his banishment from Augustus' circle of friends (between 29 and 26 BCE) was probably political. He subsequently committed suicide and possibly underwent damnatio memoriae. In exile, Ovid appears to be consciously featuring allusions to Gallus. This paper examines some examples of such allusion that throw light on Ovid's relationship with Augustus. Most of what Gallus wrote is lost, so that sources available for comparison are relatively slight. Yet Ovid's exilic reception of Gallus, as far as it can be ascertained from comparison of his exilic oeuvre with the small Gallan corpus, casts an interesting light on the poet-prince relationship.
Antike Und Abendland, 1988
Ovid's Poems from Exile The Creation of a Myth and the Triumph of Poetry* The question of the int... more Ovid's Poems from Exile The Creation of a Myth and the Triumph of Poetry* The question of the interpretation of Ovid's poetry of exile is complex. Ovidian research has been much affected by the «historicist approach» 1. Controversy has long raged about how much of what Ovid says in his ostensibly biographical poetry, both the erotic and the exilic, can be taken as literally true or «sincere». Critics, particularly those lacking in a sense of humour, have labelled him «shallow», or «insincere», usually in a deleterious comparison with a predecessor or contemporary. Criticism has of late, however, tended to modify this approach. Ulrich Müller in an aptly-entitled article («Lügende Dichter») 2 points out that poetic fiction stands somewhere between poetic reality and historical reality. To Müller, Ovid's approach to truth is Aristotelian, portraying potentiality, rather than actuality. In modern idiom, Ovid's «sincerity» is not necessarily based on «factual reality» 3. Ovid addressed himself to this same problem in Tristia 2.352-442 in an elaborate defense of his art as opposed to his life 4. A problem that has beset Ovidian criticism has been that even individual critics do not react in the same way to the poet's various works. Historicists tended to doubt the «sincerity» or «factual truth» of the Amoves, but turned around and accepted as literal fact all that the poet chose to represent in the exilic poetry 5. Critics with a more literary bent tended to judge the erotic and * Gratitude is expressed to the University of Stellenbosch for sabbatical leave during 1985, and to the Universities of Texas at Austin, U.S.A., and Cambridge, England, for hospitality to a visiting scholar, and the use of their extensive library facilities. An earlier draft of this paper was first read at the 17th Biennial Conference of the Classical Association of South Africa. Thanks to colleagues at that meeting, and to Miss E. Paterson of Pietermaritzburg and an anonymous reader, also to the editors of Antike und Abendland, for helpful comments. Thanks also to the HSRCfor financial support. All references to journals in the notes below are abbreviated according to the system followed by L'Annee Philologique. 1 W.B. Stanford, Enemies of poetry (London, 1980) decries critics who «have adopted the factualistic belief that poetry is essentially a subspecies of history-history in fancy dress or primitive history».
The paper explores practical strategies for using classical studies to enhance the education of a... more The paper explores practical strategies for using classical studies to enhance the education of adolescent students, especially those who are gifted. It reviews progress, since 1900, in Latin teaching methods in Great Britain and the Netherlands and describes more recent work in South Africa, including the development of new curricula for teaching Latin as well as the annual reading competitions, linguistic and historical quizzes, and art competitions sponsored by the Classical Association of South Africa. A project is described in which 20 gifted students (aged 13-17) were asked to review new juvenile classical books and teaching packets. It spawned a range of other projects which are summarized. The students produced a slide-tape show, the full script of which is appended to the paper. The book and teaching packet reviews were edited by a student and reworked by the teacher in a review article which isalso appended. Conclusions drawn from the project confirm that the classics have much to offer the gifted and that they also offer a new awareness that even random dippiw-into the classical world is a rewarding experience for both average and gifted pupils. (VW)