Dr. Louis Zweig

Biography

Louis Zweig studies Latin literature with a focus on poetry from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. He is currently writing a monograph on the reception of the Biblical Exodus in Latin verse, exploring how the Exodus has provided language for many—from slaves on American plantations to leaders of colonial movements—to either call for liberation or justify positions of power. His project reveals the prominence and innovations of late Romans and their successors in the historical appropriation of the Exodus narrative. The Red Sea crossing became a common subject in late antique Latin poetry, allowing poets to write Christian analogues to Virgil’s Aeneid in a contemporary style. Poets of the Carolingian period utilized the Exodus story to develop new frameworks for versifying heroic material inherited from oral traditions, critiquing and legitimizing kingship. His project challenges disciplinary boundaries by focusing on the Latin poetic treatment of subjects adapted from ancient Near Eastern literary networks and reinterpreted memory central to Christian identity formation. Zweig's book project turns to the theme of Biblical homecomings in poetry of exile, analyzing how more than a dozen Latin poets emulated Ovid’s exile poetry in Latin verse in an effort to understand and win reprieve from their own states of exile.

Research Interests

Experience