Latin

Course summary

This course focuses on developing the ability to read and appreciate Latin, through building upon the grammar met at GCSE and continued work on adapted unseen passages in Year 12, which develops into unadapted verse and prose translation in Year 13. The course is split evenly between language and literature study; prose authors might include Cicero, the most talented defence lawyer of his day, or Tacitus, who paints a vivid picture of the intrigue and scandal surrounding the imperial court. Verse authors include Virgil, the author of the great epic poem The Aeneid, and Ovid, who specialised in witty love poetry and provides a unique insight into lives in Rome. Students will develop a critical approach to Latin literature and the civilisation that produced it; a successful student will make informed comparisons with later literature but, above all, will base clear judgements on a close reading of textual evidence. Latin combines with almost any subject. The skills of deduction, logic, analysis and interpretation it teaches are shared as much with Maths and Sciences as they are with English, History and other humanities.