Love and Friendship in Literature and Philosophy

Love and friendship are important topics for understanding the best human life and its relationship to the best regime. We will study Plato’s Phaedrus and Symposium; Aristotle’s Ethics; essays on friendship by Montagne and Bacon; Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Students will be expected to attend all classes prepared to discuss the reading. In addition, a short (500 to 1000 word) paper will be due in class each week. (Political Theory)/