Alexander Loney

American Council of Learned Societies New Faculty Fellow

Alexander Loney is a philologist and literary critic, working primarily on archaic Greek poetry. He studied at the University of Michigan (B.A. 2004) and Duke University (Ph.D. 2010). Before coming to Yale as an American Council of Learned Societies New Faculty Fellow, he taught classical studies at Duke and comparative literature and English, as well as classics, at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

His work focuses on bridging the aesthetic/ethical divide in the interpretation of literature. He is especially interested on how the formalisms of narrative structure become meaningful for storytellers and audiences.

His current major project (working title: Vengeance, Narration, and the Meaning of the Odyssey) is a book-length revision of his doctoral dissertation, which examined the crucial structural and ethical theme of tisis in the Odyssey. He has also written and taught on the modern reception of the classics, especially in American film and literature. In addition, he has published articles on Alcman’s Partheneion and Luke-Acts.

featured Courses This Year

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CLCV 215/HUMS 232

Classical Mythologies

Fall 2012, TTh 11:35-12:15 Areas: HU

This course fulfills the area requirement in the humanities and arts (HU)

In this course students will engage theoretical concerns about nature and meaning of myth, while also closely considering the primary sources through which myths have come down to us: ancient texts such

as epic poems, tragic and comic plays, philosophical dialogues, encyclopedia, and the like; the remnants of ancient artworks, such as bronze and marble sculptures, friezes, mosaics, and vase paintings. The course will include trips to the Yale Art Gallery.

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Field Greek language and literature

Areas of research Greek Poetry (especially Homer and Archaic Lyric), General and Historical Linguistics, Ethical Theory and Criticism, Reception

Contact details

301 Phelps Hall

Phone (203) 432.0485

Fax (203) 432-1079

alexander.loney@yale.edu