Virgil: The Aeneid

ISBN-13: 9781849668873 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 128 str.

Robert Cowan

Opis

Virgil's "Aeneid" is the epic tale charting the origins of Rome and the trials of Aeneas on his divinely-prescribed mission to escape Troy and found a new city. Describing the mythological beginnings of the future Roman Empire, this complex and compassionate poem explores themes of war, humanity, gods, exile and the dictates of fate.
Robert Cowan's introduction to this most influential and elusive of poems is essential background reading for all who encounter or study the poem, whether in translation or in the original Latin. Including an overview of its poetic and historical background and a concise summary of its plot, the volume also discusses the genre of epic and the epic tradition, the relationship of the poem to Augustan ideology, the role of the supernatural, religion and philosophy, ideas of masculinity and femininity, narrative techniques and the afterlife and impact of the poem from Antiquity to the present day. There are also useful suggestions for further study and reading.

Spis treści

Introduction Kings and Battles? Epic and other genres in the Aeneid Caesar in the middle? The politics of the Aeneid Gods and monsters: religion and philosophy Vive la différence! gendering the Aeneid It's the way I tell 'em: narrative and style After Virgil Suggestions for Further Reading