Prose Composition Assignments

Assignment 1: Clarence Darrow for the Defense UMWA, 1903

Secondary Reading
The Murgia - Gotoff Exchange
Murgia, Charles E., "Analyzing Cicero's Style: A Review Article," for Harold Gotoff, Cicero's Elegant Style) CP 76 (1981) 301-313
Gotoff, Harold, "Analyzing Cicero's Style for the Text of Cicero: A Reply," CP 77 (1982) 336 - 339.
Murgia, Charles E., "Analyzing Cicero's Style: A Response," CP 77 (1982) 340-341.

Latin Reading
Div. in Q. Caec. 1.1 - 3. 7

 

Assignment 2: Complete the Darrow exordium.

 

Secondary Reading
Laughton, "The Learner and the Latin Period"
Johnson, W. R., Luxuriance and Economy:  Cicero and the Alien Style, (U. Cal. Press, 1971) "Periodicity and Latin" pp. 23-30

Latin Reading
Cicero, Div. in Q. Caec. 3.8-4.14
Quintilian, Inst. Orat., IX iv

 

Assignment 3: Daniel Webster, Exordium: On the Murder of Captain Joseph White

 

Secondary Reading
The Laughton review of Eduard Fraenkel, Leseproben aus Reden Ciceros und Catos.

Latin Reading
Div. in Caec. 4.15-6.22

 

Assignment 4:   Complete the Daniel Webster Exordium

 

Secondary Reading
Thomas Habinek, "Prose Cola and Poetic Word Order: Observations on Adjectives and Nouns in the Aeneid" Helios (1985) 51-66.

Latin Reading
Div. in Q. Caec. 7.22-9.27
Georgics: exercise to be handed out

 

Assignment 5:  Bradley's Arnold, "Passages for Translation" #72, p. 352.

 

Secondary Reading
VonAlbrecht, Masters of Latin Prose, 32-53

Latin Reading
Div. in Q. Caec. 9.27-11.35
Quintilian, Inst. Orat. IV. 31ff

 

Assignment 6: Rewrite the narrative from G. Gracchus (see VonAlbrecht above) in the style of Cicero.  Note: this will mean changing the Gracchan emphasis on a nominal structure where the speaker suggests outrage with his details, to a more varied, and more verbal structure where outrage is explicitly expressed, where emotion is dramatized, and motives as well as facts are put on display.

 

Secondary Reading:
Von Albrecht, Masters of Latin Prose, Sections 1.i and 1.ii (Cato)

Latin Reading
Div. in Q. Caec. 11.35-13.43
Caesar, Bellum Civile 1.1
Cicero, pro Milone 24-29

 

Assignment 7: Daniel Webster, Narratio from Murder of Captain Joseph White (first half)

 

Secondary Reading
Von Albrecht, Masters of Latin Prose, Chapter II:  Caesar.

Latin Reading
Div. in Q. Caec. 13.44- 16.51

 

Assignment 8:  Daniel Webster, Narratio from Murder of Captain Joseph White (entire)

 

Secondary Reading
Von Albrecht, Masters of Latin Prose, Chapter III:  Sallust.

Visit the Web page where the Sallust is discussed.  Compare the Sallust with the Caesar we covered last week.
Be prepared to offer comments on the Web Page and suggestions for a section which is a commentary on Von Albrecht.

Latin Reading
Div. in Q. Caec. 16.51-18.58

 

Assignment 9:  The peroration to Nixon's speech when he turned over the Watergate Tapes.
Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, this composition will be due on Friday, December 4, the last day of class.  You may discuss your composition with me, but you will not have a formal opportunity to rewrite this composision.  As the final composition you should make it your very best effort.

Assignment 10 (Tuesday, Dec. 1):

 

Secondary Reading:
Von Albrecht, Masters of Latin Prose.  Read and critique Chapter 8 "Tacitus:  A speech of the Emperor Claudius:  Original and literary recasting."  Prepare your own outline of the structure of both speeches.   This can serve as an preliminary exercise to the final paper you will be writing.

Latin Reading
Div. in Q. Caec. 18.58-20.65

 

Final Assignments

 

Div. in Q. Caec. 20.66-22.73 (for Friday Dec. 4)