Greek Literary History from Ancient Times to Early Byzantine Times

This course is for you who have successfully completed 90 higher education credits in linguistics or literature, or the equivalent. The course is compulsory within the Master’s Programme in Languages and Linguistics (Greek orientation) but may also be taken as an independent course.

The course provides you with a broad and in-depth survey of the development of Greek literature over more than a millennium. The course addresses both change and continuity in literary expression, genres, and ideas – from archaic epic to early Christian writing.

You will read a selection of Greek texts, both in the original language and in translation, and analyse how their texts reflect the cultural, philosophical, and linguistic contexts of their time. The analyses draw on both ancient and modern interpretative theories, allowing you to explore how concepts such as rhetoric, aesthetics, and morality have been transmitted and transformed through history.

The course also offers insight into how literature reflects social and cultural structures, with particular attention to issues of gender and ethnicity. Combining textual study with literary-historical and theoretical perspectives, it encourages an understanding of Greek literature both as an artistic tradition and as an ongoing history of ideas.

Course literature

The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.

The teaching consists of lectures and seminars where you will discuss and analyse works by key Greek authors, including Aeschylus, Plato, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Euripides, Longos, Longinos, Lucian, Achilles Tatios, and Anna Komnena. The course combines literary interpretation with theoretical reflection, training you to apply classical and modern analytical theories and to evaluate their relevance for ancient texts.

In its literary-historical component, the course provides an overview of genres, periods, and authors, while introducing key themes and stylistic features in the long development of Greek literature. Particular attention is given to continuity and transformation – for example, how rhetorical ideals of antiquity reappear in later texts, or how Byzantine authors reshape the classical tradition.

Seminars are based on active participation and independent analysis, where students present their own readings of texts and discuss them in relation to scholarly literature.

The course concludes with a written essay and an oral presentation, including opposition on another student’s work.

Upon completing the course, you will have acquired an advanced understanding of the major periods, genres, and authors of Greek literature, from the archaic to the early Byzantine era. You will be able to describe the development of Greek literature and analyse its continuities and innovations using both ancient and modern theoretical frameworks.

You will also have developed the ability to independently analyse texts – both in Greek and in translation – and to summarise and critically evaluate scholarly research. Through written assignments and seminar discussions, you will deepen your understanding of how literature reflects and shapes issues of gender, ethnicity, and cultural identity.

The course provides a strong foundation for further studies in Greek philology, classical civilisation, intellectual history, or comparative literature. It is designed both for students within the Master’s Programme in Languages and Linguistics (Greek orientation) and for those wishing to study Greek literary history as a stand-alone course.

Prerequisites

Students must have 90 ECTS credits in linguistics or literature, or the equivalent.

Selection criteria

Seats are allocated according to: ECTS (HPAV): 100 %.

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

• The European Union (EU)
• The European Economic Area (EEA) and
• Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 16,875
First payment: SEK 16,875

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Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.