Unhappy families appear throughout Greco-Roman literature and culture. Spectacular Tragic Houses were filled with several generations of disasters. These inspired a variety of poets to retell select moments in their histories. But even the comic household can mobilize hatred, suspicion, and other ugly feelings to humorous effect. Conflict between domineering fathers and the rest of the household was a staple of rhetorical training. And in many homes we can see the misery of slaves, members who are also not members of the family. This course will survey a variety of intimate disasters. We will explore norms and ideals as well as the sense that the same are fragile, contradictory, or even impossible. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.