Virgil's Aeneid: A Reader's Guide

Written by eminent scholar David O. Ross, this guide helps readers to engage with the poetry, thought, and background of Virgil’s great epic, suggesting both the depth and the beauty of Virgil’s poetic images and the mental images with which the Romans lived. Guides readers through the complexity of Virgil’s poetic style and imagery All extracts are translated, with original Latin given when necessary Provides useful historical and social context in which to understand the poem as it was viewed in its time Includes short introductions to important topics such as Roman religion and the Roman concept of ‘character’ Features a helpful appendix which clarifies how to read and hear the poem's Latin hexameter

Table of Contents:
Preface vii Introduction 1 1 Virgil’s Hero 11 Three Scenes of Crisis 12 The Hero and Personal Loss 18 The Hero as Warrior (10.510–605) 24 Some Observations on Character 26 2 The Victims 32 Dido 32 Nisus and Euryalus 35 Pallas and Lausus 38 Some Aspects of Turnus 43 Camilla 52 Italy 54 3 Fate and the Gods 61 The Roman Gods 62 The Gods in the Aeneid 67 Fate in the Aeneid 74 4 Virgil’s Troy 77 The Roman Troy 77 The Destruction of Troy (Aeneid, Book II) 82 Other Images of the Destruction of Troy (6.494–547, 1.450–93) 86 Andromache’s Troy Restored (3.294–505) 90 The Trojan Games (5.104–544) 94 The Transformation of Troy (5.485–544) 100 The lusus Troiae (5.545–603) 102 5 Rome, the rerum imago 105 Jupiter’s Revelation (1.254–96) 107 Anchises’ Review (6.756–892) 109 The Shield of Aeneas (8.626–728) 113 6 Virgil, His Life and Works 120 His Life and Times 120 The Eclogues 125 The Georgics 133 Appendix: The Latin Hexameter 143 Word Accent 143 Verse Ictus 144 Accent and Ictus 144 Caesura and Diaeresis 145 The Third-Foot Caesura 145 The First Foot 146 The Hexameter Line 147 The Catullan Molossus 151 General Index 153 Index of Passages 155

About the Author :
David O. Ross is Emeritus Professor of Classics at the University of Michigan. He is author of Style and Tradition in Catullus (1969), Backgrounds to Augustan Poetry: Gallus, Elegy, and Rome (1975), and Virgil’s Elements: Physics and Poetry in the Georgics (1987).

Review :
“I believe that everyone—professional academic, student, or layperson—will benefit from Ross's lyrical and insightful reading of Vergil's great poem.” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, March 2009) “The book says a great many things that need to be said, or said again. It does not seek controversy and avoids much that is easily available elsewhere. What it does say is largely familiar, even comfortable, but it is well said, clear, detailed, moderate.” (New England Classical Journal, February 2009) “Beautifully conceived and nuanced guide…the depth, sensitivity, and accessibility of the volume make it worthy companion to its predecessors. Ross explicates…with exquisite care and clarity.” (Choice) "The ideas and arguments presented in this work are thought provoking." (Journal of Classics Teaching)