CL2PF: Ancient Prose Fiction

Module code: CL2PF

Module provider: Classics; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: 5

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Christa Gray , email: c.m.gray@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 3 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module examines fictional ancient prose narratives (the ‘ancient novel’ and its ‘fringe’), looking at their structures, themes and styles, as well as the social contexts in which they were produced and consumed.  

Aims:  

• To offer a broad discussion of the context and significance of various novel-like prose narratives. 
• To provide detailed interpretations of selected (books of) individual novels and related texts, and to compare them with other ancient and modern literary genres. 
• To gain an understanding of key trends in past and contemporary scholarship on the subject. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Relate the interpretation of specific texts and passages to broader literary, aesthetic, and social contexts; 
2. Complement the arguments offered in the lectures and seminars with their own research;  
3. Articulate their arguments effectively and illustrate them with relevant evidence; 
4. Recognise and criticise key arguments made in recent scholarship. 

Module content

Topics covered in this module may include the narrative structures of the ancient novel; its use of characterisation; its relationship with other ancient genres including epic, history, and drama; the depiction of gender, class, ethnicity, and religion in the texts studied. Ancient narratives to be discussed will include at least one of the Greek novels of Chariton, Xenophon of Ephesus, Achilles Tatius, Longus, and Heliodorus; at least one of the Latin novels by Apuleius and Petronius; and a selection of passages from novelistic texts of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, for example Joseph and Aseneth and the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught by lectures and seminars with at least two contact hours per week. 

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module. 

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will give unassessed individual presentations.

Reassessment

Additional costs