Written by Year 12 Latin students
On Tuesday 8th February, Sixth Form Latin students went to MCS to take part in the annual Latin set text conference.
Unfortunately, the first speaker (from Exeter University) was unable to attend – although this did mean that we had more time to appreciate the tea and biscuits! The second speaker was Dr Matthew Robinson (of Balliol College, Oxford) on the topic of Roman love poetry. His talk – ‘Real men, Ro-men and Romance’ – began with a comparison of Cato the Elder, Wordsworth and (of all people) James Bond, to determine which was the so-called ‘real man’ before zooming in on Roman gender roles as represented (or subverted) in the poetry of Catullus and Ovid.
The third and final speaker was Dr Luke Pitcher (of Somerville College, Oxford) speaking on the subject of decorum in the context of Cicero’s oratory, and the difficulty of explaining unseemly topics in an appropriate manner – drawing examples from the current A Level texts. One thing that certainly came as a surprise was Cicero’s reported talent for jokes, including a pun on quoque/coque (also/cook) in a case about a chef. Overall, it was certainly an educational and entertaining experience – we hope we’ll be able to return next year for more food insights into the ancient Roman world.