Vergil's Aeneid has been considered a classic, if not the classic, of Western literature for two thousand years. In recent decades this famous poem has become the subject of fresh and searching controversy. What is the poem's fundamental meaning? Does it endorse or undermine values of empire and patriarchy? Is its world view comic or tragic? Many studies of the poem have focused primarily on selected books. The approach here is comprehensive. An introduction by editor Christine Perkell discusses the poem's historical background, its reception from antiquity to the present, and its most important themes. The book-by-book readings that follow both explicate the text and offer a variety of interpretations. Concluding topic chapters focus on the Aeneid as foundation story, the influence of Apollonius' Argonautica, the poem's female figures, and English translations of the Aeneid. Written in an accessible style and providing translations of all Latin passages, this volume will be of particular value to teachers and students of humanities courses as well as to specialists.

About the Author
Christine Perkell is Associate Professor of Classics at Emory University. She is the author of The Poet's Truth: A study of the Poet in Virgil's "Georgics."


Book Information
ISBN 9780806131399
Author C.G. Perkell
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint University of Oklahoma Press
Publisher University of Oklahoma Press
Weight(grams) 499g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 155mm * 19mm