John Van Sickle
Professor
Classics
Location: 2404A Boylan Hall
Phone: 718.951.5078
Fax: 718.951.4765
Email:
John Van Sickle's Web site
John Van Sickle conducted a series of studies to research on pastoral tradition, in which nature plays always a metaphoric role, hence to his focus on horticulture and on the wider range and function of metaphor, understood as a basic cognitive process -- often operative in both technical and everyday language, nowhere more than in how we talk of plants and how plants enliven and enrich our talk about much else.
Education:
Postdoctoral fellow, Harvard University: Center for Hellenic Studies - 1975 (Greek literature)
Postdoctoral fellow, Johns Hopkins University - 1969 (Humanities)
Ph.D., Harvard University - 1966 (Classical Philology)
M. A., University of Illinois - 1959 (Greek)
A.B., Harvard College - 1958 (Litteris latinis)
Areas of Expertise:
Any gardener who has faced plant catalogues and labels bristling with technical names for plants couched in Greek and Latin will appreciate Gardener Friendly Guides to Botanical Nomenclature, delivered to the garden club of East Hampton, Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons, Suffolk County Master Gardeners, Arnold Arboretum. Talks and workshops help explain the technical names used by professionals in horticulture.
Books and Publications
rev. Paola Gagliardi, Commento Alla Decima Egloga Di Virgilio. Spudasmata 161. Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 2014." Vergilius 62 (2016): 153-57 (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2016
"Tityrus Modulanter Deductus:From Vatic to Arcadian Poetics Via Satyr-Play in Virgil's Book of Bucolic Epos." In Virgilian Studies : A Miscellany Dedicated to the Memory of Mario Geymonat (26.1.1941-17.2.2012), 475-518. Nordhausen.: Verlag Traugott Bautz. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2015
"Daphnis" In The Virgil Encyclopedia, 1.337-38. Wiley-Blackwell.(2014).
(Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2014
"Epos." In The Virgil Encyclopedia, 1.447. Wiley-Blackwell. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2014
"Meliboeus." In The Virgil Encyclopedia, 2.808-09. Wiley-Blackwell.(2014).
.. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2014
"Menalcas." The Virgil Encyclopedia, 2.812-13. Wiley-Blackwell.(2014). (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2014
"Mopsus."In The Virgil Encyclopedia, 2.842. Wiley-Blackwell.(2014).
"Tityrus." Idem, 3.1275-77. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2014
"Tityrus." In The Virgil Encyclopedia 3.1275-77.Wiley-Blackwell.(2014). (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2014
Virgil's Book of Bucolics, the Ten Eclogues Translated Into English Verse: Framed by Cues for Reading Aloud and Clues for Threading Texts and Themes: The Illustrated Digital Edition [Kindle Edition]. (Brooklyn: Bare Knuckles Press, 2014). (Books and Publications: Book (Edited)) 2014
Review of Gregory Nagy, Homer the Classic. Bryn Mawr Classsical Review 2013, no. 03.46. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2013
"POST SCRIPTUM Eclogue Four: A 'Basic Approach' Via Paraphrasis, Parabasis, And Metabasis (Anabasis?)." Vergilius 57: 156 (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2011
rev. of Ettore Cingano, ed. Tra panellenismo e tradizioni locali: generi poetici e storiografia (Edizioni dell'Orso, 2010), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 11.62 (2011) (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2011
Virgil's Book of Bucolics, the Ten Eclogues Translated Into English Verse. Framed by Cues for Reading Out-Loud & Clues for Threading Texts & Themes. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011). (Books and Publications: Book (Edited)) 2010
Reviewed Tradition & Innovation in Hellenistic Poetry, by Fantuzzi and Hunter. Classical World 102. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2008
"Brian Breed Pastoral Inscriptions." Vergilius 53. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2007
"Querying Feeney About Caesar's Calendar. Complex simul. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2007
The Design of Virgil's Bucolics 2nd ed. Duckworth. Ongoing scholarly discussion of Virgil's Book of Bucolics at own website. (Books and Publications: Book (Authored)) 2004
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Favorite Teacher Selection, by graduating seniors. (Awards and Honors) 2007
Distinguished Teaching Award, Brooklyn College. (Awards and Honors) 2002
Favorite Teacher Selection, by graduating seniors. (Awards and Honors) 2002
Faculty Fellow, Wolfe Institute for the Humanities, Brooklyn College, 1998-99. (Grants and Fellowships) 1998
Brown Foundation Fellow, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn. (Grants and Fellowships) 1996
PSC-CUNY Research Award, for "Derek Walcott, St. Lucia, Omeros." (Awards and Honors) 1995
Visiting scholar, American Academy in Rome. (Awards and Honors) 1994
Scholar in Residence, Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Center, Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy. (Awards and Honors) 1993
Visiting scholar, American Academy in Rome. (Awards and Honors) 1993
Fulbright Professor for the Virgil Bimillennium, Rome University. (Awards and Honors) 1982
ACLS Travel Grant. (Grants and Fellowships) 1981
The Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. (Awards and Honors) 1981
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow. (Grants and Fellowships) 1979
Junior Fellow, Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University, 1974-75. (Grants and Fellowships) 1974
Postdoctoral Fellow, The Johns Hopkins Humanities Center, 1969-70. (Grants and Fellowships) 1969
Fulbright Fellow, Rome University, 1964-65. (Grants and Fellowships) 1964
Fulbright Fellow, Rome University, 1963-64. (Grants and Fellowships) 1963
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
Traces of Virgil and Ovid in the Translation of Theocritus by Eobanus,
Hyblaea avena - Theokritrezeption in der griechischen und lateinischen Literatur der römischen Kaiserzeit und frühen Neuzeit [Hyblan oat: Reception of Theocritus in Greek and Latin Literature of the Roman Imperial and Early Modern Period]
Internationales Symposium an der Bergischen Universität Wuppertal (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Gallus and Vatic Mopsus in Virgil's Liber Bucolicon
Classical Association of the Atlantic States, Annual Meeting, New York, NY (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2017
Presider for session, Music in the Time of Vergil, Symposium Cumanum 2016, 21-24 June 2016
Villa Vergiliana, Cuma - Bacoli, Sponsored by The Vergilian Society, Washington University in St. Louis, The Harry Wilks Study Center (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2016
{C. Cornelius} and Gallus in Vergil's Liber Bucolicon
Symposium Cumanum, Vergilian Society of America, Villa Vergiliana, Cuma (Naples), Italy
(Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2015
"Tirade on Trade Translators: Bucolic Spectacle Restaged"
Symposium Cumanum, Vergilian Society of America, Villa Vergiliana, Cuma (Naples), Italy (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2014
"Le Raccolte Poetiche di Marcantonio Flaminio." International Neo-Latin Conference. Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy, June-July. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2010
"Some Tools for Using the Latin Roots in English." Waseda University. Tokyo, June. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2010
"Vate Romano: il ricupero della poetica del potere fra Virgilio bucolico ed Orazio lirico." Seminario su Orazio Lirico presso l'Universita' degli Studi, Padova. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
"Virgil's Book of Bucolics--La settima - un'egloga negletta." Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. Milan. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
"Virgilio Vate: Ricupero dell'antico per una nuova poetica del potere." Department of Sciences of Antiquity. Universita' degli Studi. Milan. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
Other Professional Activities
Peer reviewer for the Classical Journal 2020
Referee, Classical World. 2009
Referee, Phoenix. 2009
Reviewer, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 7.43: Timothy Saunders, Bucolic Ecology. Virgil's Eclogues and the Environmental Literary Tradition. 2009
Reviewer, Classical Review: Hutchinson (G.O.) Talking Books. Readings in Hellenistic and Roman Books of Poetry. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 2009
"Virgilio Vate: ricupero della poetica archaica romana per una nuova ideologia del potere." Seminar for Department of Ancient Studies, University of Rome "La Sapienza." 2008
"Virgilio vate: ricupero della poetica archaica romano per una nuova ideologia del potere." Seminar at the Universita' degli Studi, Pavia. 2008
Lecturer for U.S. Consulate (Krakow, Poland) at Jagiellonian University on First Book by Frost: A Modern Poetic Sequence in a Classical Tradition. Encounters in Poland. 2008
Lecturer for U.S. Consulate (Krakow, Poland) at Silesian University (Sosnowiec) on "Homage to Hopper: American Poets Respond to Paintings of an American Icon." 2008
Lecturer for U.S. Embassy (Warsaw, Poland) at University of Lodz on First Book by Frost: A Modern Poetic Sequence in a Classical Tradition. Encounters in Poland. 2008
Outside evaluator for tenure candidate at Rice University. 2008
Referee for articles submitted to Transactions of the American Philological Association & Classical World. 2008
Applied the method of analysis in talks and workshops on the Scientific Names of Plants presented for the Garden Club of East Hampton, following similar talks in previous years at Arnold Arboretum (Harvard University), Master Gardeners of Suffolk Country and Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons (Paul Karish Memorial Seminar). 2006
Teaching Roots of Style: The Greek & Latin Elements in English, with comparisons to Spanish, Italian & French. I developed an approach to etymology and style that I presented as an Introduction to Latin in English at Okayama University. 2006
"Walcott's Metapoetic 'Virgilian Reeds.'" Vergilius 51: 32-61. 2005
