Divine Epics [3]: The Qur’an and The Aeneid

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Both the Aeneid and the Qur’an can be viewed as the culmination of divine trilogies — the Aeneid completes the story begun in the Iliad and Odyssey, and the Qur’an follows the Hebrew Bible and New Testament (or, more precisely: the Torah and the Gospel).  This course will examine these “sequels,” both as independent works and in terms of their relationships to their precursors.  In addition, we will also compare and contrast Virgil’s account of the “Trojan exodus” of Aeneas, which culminates in the foundation of Rome, with the Exodus from Egypt, which culminates in the foundation of Israel.

Texts
  • Homer, The Iliad
  • Homer, The Odyssey
  • Virgil, The Aeneid
  • Hebrew Bible
  • New Testament
  • Qur’an

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TAUGHT: SPRING 2012