Terence Eunuchus, a double act: seminar and conference

Friday, June 17, 2022 - 9:30am to 5:00pm

An illustration from a 12th century English manuscript of Terence's Eunuchus: the image depicts the soldier Thraso and his henchmen ready to besiege a house


A hybrid weekly seminar (Tuesdays 11.30am, 26 April to 14 June) and one-day research conference (Friday 17 June); in collaboration with the APGRD, Corpus Christi College Classics Centre, and the University of Leipzig. Organizers: Stefano Cianciosi (LMH, Oxford), Domenico Giordani (UCL), Vincent Graf (Leipzig/Oxford), and Giuseppe Pezzini (CCC, Oxford).

Corpus Christi College Classics Centre and the APGRD are pleased to invite you to a double act dedicated to Terence’s most successful and most controversial comedy, Eunuchus, which will consist of a weekly introductory seminar and a one-day research conference, both open to everyone.

Introductory Seminar
Tuesdays 11.30-1pm, 26 April - 14 June
Corpus Christi College Oxford - and on Zoom ​

Our programme encompasses a wide array of topics and perspectives on the play — from textual criticism to gender studies, from ancient and modern reception to stage-related issues and performance. In addition to presentations on selected passages given by graduate students and early career researchers, the first five sessions will include short introductions on several aspects of the text such as transmission, language, metre, Greek model, and the historical context of its performance.

We’d like to stress that the seminar is open to everyone and it is by no means expected that participants will have any prior knowledge of the Eunuchus or of Roman comedy in general. In fact, our aim is to bring different approaches to bear on the text and thus open up new avenues for interpretation. 

The programme, including the location for each session, can be found below <jump to seminar programme> or can be downloaded here as a Word Doc.

Seminar Registration

If you are planning to attend the seminar (either in person or via Zoom), please register your details in our online Seminar form.

Research conference: The Reception of Terence Eunuchus
Friday 17 June
Auditorium, Corpus Christi College Oxford - and on Zoom

As Terence's most successful play, Eunuchus was consistently part of the Latin school canon from the late Roman Republic to the modern era. Over a period of more than two thousand years, the comedy has been edited, performed, commented on, criticised, illustrated, and imitated numerous times. By bringing together experts on the ancient, medieval, and modern reception of the play, the workshop aims to discuss a wide range of approaches and provide insight into the colourful afterlife of one of Rome's most successful poets.

Programme


9.30-10:00 Arrival and Coffee

10.00-10.10 Introduction to the Conference

10.10-10.45 Vincent Graf (Universität Leipzig/Oxford): 'Quoting Terence – Mocking Cicero? A Passage from Eunuchus in Cic. Tusc. 4.75 and Hor. Sat. 2.3.259-271.'

10.45-11.20 Prof Andrew Cain (University of Colorado Boulder): 'From the Stage to the Page. The Reception of Terence’s Eunuchus in Late Antiquity.'

11.20-11.55 Prof Stefan Feddern (Universität Leipzig): 'Augustine’s Reception of Terence’s Eunuchus.'

11.55-12.30 Vittorio Danovi (University of Oxford): 'Late-Antique Grammarians Reading the Eunuchus.'

12.30-13.30 Lunch at Corpus Christi

13.30-14.05 Dr Andrew Turner (University of Melbourne): 'Badius’ Eunuchus. Between Illustration and Theory.'

14.05-14.40 Dr Giulia Torello-Hill (University of New England): 'Re-imagining Terence. The Revival of Eunuchus in Renaissance Italy.'

14.40-15.15 Dr Beatrice Radden Keefe (Universität Zürich): 'What's the Getup? The Eunuch's Clothes in the Terentius Vaticanus.'

15.15-15.50 Prof Antony Augoustakis (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign): 'The rape scene in Terence’s Eunuchus and its reception in the Joseph plays in the 16th century.'

15.50-16.20 Tea Break

16.20-16.55 Andrea Peverelli (Huygens Institute): 'The reception of the Eunuchus in Early Modern Drama from a DH perspective.'

16.55-17.30 Prof Edith Hall (Durham University): 'Terence's Eunuchus and the post-Restoration English theatre.'

17.30-18.00 Final discussion, Summary and Next Steps

Conference Registration

If you are planning to attend the event (either in person or via Zoom) please register your details in our online Conference form

Contact

If you have any queries, please feel free to email Stefano Cianciosi at: 

 

Seminar Programme: Corpus Christi College Oxford

Week 1: Tue 26 April, 11.30am-1pm - Seminar room

  • Beppe Pezzini (Oxford): Transmission
  • Vincent Graf (Leipzig): Roman Theatre in Terence’s Times

Week 2: Tue 3 May, 11.30am-1pm - Rainolds Room

  • Wolfgang De Melo (Oxford): Language
  • Kevin Protze (Leipzig): Ter. Eun. 1-45/prologue 

Week 3: Tue 10 May, 11.30am-1pm - Rainolds Room

  • Domenico Giordani (Oxford/UCL): Metre
  • Boris Kayachev (Oxford): Ter. Eun. 46-231/romantic love 

Week 4: Tue 17 May, 11.30am-1pm - Rainolds Room

  • Stefano Cianciosi (Oxford): Greek Model
  • Benjamin Cartlidge (Oxford): Ter. Eun. 232-390/hangers-on and the cunning slave

Week 5: Tue 24 May, 11.30am-1pm - Morelli Room

  • Nicolò Campodonico (Pisa): Suetonius’ Life of Terence
  • Thomas Nelson (Oxford): Ter. Eun. 391-506/the braggart soldier 

Week 6: Tue 31 May, 11.30am-1pm - Auditorium

  • Benjamin Victor (Université de Montréal): Some remarks on Donatus
  • Camilla Poloni (Roma): Donatus’ Commentary
  • Alberto Corrado (Oxford): Ter. Eun. 507-614/the rape 

Week 7: Tue 7 June, 11.30am-1pm - Auditorium

  • Marius del Core (Pisa): Ter. Eun. 615-726/misunderstanding
  • Basil Nelis (Oxford): Ter. Eun. 727-816/familial bonds and the quarrel

Week 8: Tue 14 June, 11.30am-1pm - Rainolds Room

  • Lewis Webb (Oxford): Ter. Eun. 817-970/women’s legal statuses 
  • Holly Hunt (Oxford): Ter. Eun. 971-1090/resolution