• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Search

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

Open Search Menu

The College of Arts & Sciences

Department of Classical Studies

  • Home
  • About
    • Core Faculty
    • Affiliated Faculty
    • Emeriti Faculty
    • Administration
    • Staff
    • Graduate Students
    • History
    • Alumni & Giving
    • Diversity + Inclusion
    • About Bloomington
  • Undergraduate
    • Classical Civilization B.A.
    • Latin and Greek B.A.
    • Minors
    • Courses
    • Advising
    • Honors Program
    • Study Abroad
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Scholarships & Awards
    • Tutoring
    • Student Experience
    • Career Preparation
  • Graduate
    • Professional Resources
    • Graduate Degrees
    • Minors
    • Courses
    • Study Abroad
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Language Proficiency
    • Recent Graduates
    • How to Apply
  • Research
    • Centers & Resources
    • Publications
  • News & Events
    • Department News
  • Search
  • Contact
  • Student Portal
  • Department News
    • News Archive
  • Home
  • News & Events
  • Department News
  • News Archive
  • 2023-Worman-Lecture

September 28, 2023: Classical Speaker Series

By: Department of Classical Studies

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

September 28, 2023 Classical Studies Speaker Series

Nancy Worman, Barnard College and Columbia University

"Tempo and Form in Sappho, Swinburne, and Thom Gunn"

In this discussion I argue that Sappho and some key modern poets situate erotic movement at the conjunction of the mobile body and poetic form. I aim to move beyond the typical (and typically gendered) scholarly discourse around Sappho that tends to resort to body-mind binaries and explore the theoretical consequences of focusing on tempo, style, and form. The discussion turns from Swinburne to Sappho to Thom Gunn, as viewed from the queer aesthetics of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick at one end and the aesthetic anxieties of Plato at the other. One through line is the association of eroticized female bodies with lyric tempo and form, especially those of Helen and Anactoria, the love object in Sappho 16. All of these writers concern themselves in one way or another with bodily rhythms and control – of form, of erotics, and ultimately of the gendered temporalities of the body.

4:30 PM

Location: Lindley Hall 130

Contact Alyson Melzer (almelzer@iu.edu) for more info!

Department of Classical Studies social media channels

  • Instagram
  • College of Arts & Sciences
  • Department of Classical Studies

The College of Arts & Sciences

Indiana University

Copyright © 2025 The Trustees of Indiana University

Accessibility | College Scorecard | Privacy Notice

The College of Arts & Sciences

  • About
    • Core Faculty
    • Affiliated Faculty
    • Emeriti Faculty
    • Administration
    • Staff
    • Graduate Students
    • History
    • Alumni & Giving
      • Get Involved
      • Newsletter
    • Diversity + Inclusion
    • About Bloomington
  • Undergraduate
    • Classical Civilization B.A.
    • Latin and Greek B.A.
    • Minors
    • Courses
      • Transfer Course Credit
    • Advising
    • Honors Program
    • Study Abroad
      • Rome, Italy
      • Athens, Greece
      • Field Schools
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Scholarships & Awards
    • Tutoring
      • Ancient Greek Peer-Tutoring
      • Latin Peer-Tutoring
    • Student Experience
    • Career Preparation
      • Career Paths
      • Career Advising
      • Internships
  • Graduate
    • Professional Resources
    • Graduate Degrees
    • Minors
    • Courses
    • Study Abroad
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Language Proficiency
    • Recent Graduates
    • How to Apply
  • Research
    • Centers & Resources
    • Publications
  • News & Events
    • Department News
      • News Archive
  • Contact
  • Student Portal
    • Undergraduate
      • Classical Civilization B.A.
      • Latin and Greek B.A.
      • Minors
      • Honors Program
        • Honors Thesis Guidelines
      • Tutoring
    • Graduate
      • Classical Studies M.A.
      • Classical Studies M.A.T.
      • Classical Studies Ph.D.
        • Candidacy
        • Dissertation
      • Ph.D. Minor
    • Courses