Environmental and Philosophical Pessimism in Latin Literature — a Talk by Del A. Maticic

Negativity and despair in the face of environmental crises are familiar feelings in today’s moment of climate emergency. But are such affective responses unique to postindustrial modernity—or even to life under capitalism? Ancient Roman literature suggests otherwise. Expressions of hopelessness about human-caused ecological degradation like deforestation and habitat destruction litter the Latin literature of antiquity. How can we situate within the broader tradition of philosophical pessimism what we might, in today’s terminology, deem an ancient ecopessimism? 

Del A. Maticic is the Blegen Research Fellow in Greek and Roman Studies at Vassar College, where he teaches and researches the ways in which Latin literature responds to and constructs worlds. He has a PhD in Classics from NYU. He is in the latter stages of writing his first book, The Invention of Metal in Latin Literature, which surveys Roman discourses about mining and metallurgy, and in the beginning stages of a second book project, tentatively titled Roman Pessimism. 

This talk is being held in the context of BISR’s Language Learning and Critique program, an innovative approach to classical languages and their ever-changing scenes of reception. RSVPs will receive a link to the Zoom meeting room where the talk will be held. 

This talk is now available for viewing on BISR’s Vimeo page; click here to watch.

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