Sappho: Poems and Fragments Lesson Plan

Fragment 1 contains the name "Sappho" in reference to the speaker. How should readers interpret this? Is this the same Sappho as the poet, or someone different?

This is an important question for students to engage with at the beginning of their study of Sappho. Poetry should be read in such a way that the poet is not conflated with the speaker, but this is easier in instances where the poet is a clearly identified historical figure. Sappho is much more mysterious. The lack of records on her life have led centuries of readers to glean information from her poetry, drawing conclusions about her life based on their content. Still, even when the speaker is identified as...