Lærke Andersen

Curriculum

CURRICULUM VITAE – LAERKE ANDERSEN, PhD

Education: September 2010-2014: PhD student at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. 2002-2009: Student in Classical Philology at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. Work experience: February 2009-today: Teaching Greek and Latin at Classical Studies, University of Southern Denmark. Various activities: 2009-2011: Co-organiser of "Klassisk dag" - an interdisciplinary seminar on different classical subjects at the University of Southern Denmark. September-October 2008: Two months at the Danish Institute in Athens working on the MA thesis on Sappho’s fragment 58 V. 2005-2008: Vice chairman of the study board of Classical Studies.2006, 2007, 2009 til 2011: Participant and organiser of "Forskningens Døgn" - an annual event presenting research to the general public.

Research areas

Eustathius, the well read archbishop of Thessaloniki, wrote two comprehensive commentaries to the Homeric epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These works present a literary approach to the poems which the German 18th century theologian and historian Johann Martin Chladenius has called the perfectly balanced approach to Homer.

The alleged audience of the Commentaries was young students and the approach to the poems is didactic in many different ways. The aim of the main part of this project is to examine Eustathius’ didactic focus; first of all, through a thorough survey and analysis of the didactic nature of the treatment of the maxims in the poems and secondly, through an examination of Eustathius’ approach to the mythic paradeigmata.

When the Renaissance humanist in Western Europe began to take an interest in Homer’s poems, the Commentaries found a new audience. The Greek dialect that the humanists learned differed in many ways from the artificial poetic language in which the epic poems was composed, and the Commentaries could thus help the new readers of Homer with the understanding and interpretation of the poems. The final part of the project is to study the extent of the influence of the Commentaries on the Renaissance humanists.

Research information

Eustathius, the well read archbishop of Thessaloniki, wrote two comprehensive commentaries to the Homeric epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. These works present a literary approach to the poems which the German 18th century theologian and historian Johann Martin Chladenius has called the perfectly balanced approach to Homer.

The alleged audience of The Commentaries was young students and the approach to the poems is didactic in many different ways. The aim of the main part of this project is to examine Eustathius’ didactic focus; first of all, through a thorough survey and analysis of the didactic nature of the treatment of the maxims in the poems and secondly, through an examination of Eustathius’ approach to the mythic paradeigmata.

When the Renaissance humanist in Western Europe began to take an interest in Homer’s poems, The Commentaries found a new audience. The Greek dialect that the humanists learned differed in many ways from the artificial poetic language in which the epic poems was composed, and The Commentaries could thus help the new readers of Homer with the understanding and interpretation of the poems. The final part of the project is to study the extent of the influence of The Commentaries on the Renaissance humanists.