Virgil offers undergraduates, graduate students and generalreaders a comprehensive and carefully balanced introduction to theworks and literary reception of Virgil. * Offers a fresh, comprehensive introduction to Virgil intranslation * Explores the historical context in which Virgil wrote andlived * Discusses the manuscript tradition of Virgil * Traces the poet's literary influence on later authors andhis impact on the arts * Includes suggestions for further readings

R. Alden Smith is Professor of Classics at Baylor University. He is the author of Poetic Allusion and Poetic Embrace in Ovid and Virgil (1998) and The Primacy of Vision and Virgil's Aeneid (2005), as well as many articles on Latin and Greek poetry, and Greek epigraphy.

A truly useful introduction to Vergil and his poetry. Smith combines up-to-date information on the issues with an intelligent and well-written assessment. Highly recommended.

Karl Galinsky, University of Texas at Austin

For the newcomer to Virgil, this book will be a welcome introduction to the poet's works and their reception by critics, artists, and scholars through the centuries.

Peter E. Knox, University of Colorado, Boulder

Incorporating the most up-to-date classical scholarship, Virgilian scholar R. Alden Smith presents a comprehensive introduction to Virgil's literary works and narrative technique. In addition to exploring the historical milieu, this book considers the reception of Virgil's works, citing examples from painting, sculpture, and drama. After analyzing Virgil's three major works the Eclogues, Georgics, and the great national epic of Rome, the Aeneid Smith addresses other key topics, including the manuscript tradition and various problems associated with establishment of the text. Virgil's legacy, including his influence on subsequent Latin poetry and later literary figures (e.g., Dante, Camões, Milton) is also a feature of this study. Combining scholarly rigor and an accessible writing style, Smith offers an insightful introduction to Virgil and the world in which he lived.

Inhalt

List of Figures viii

Preface ix

Note on Abbreviations xi

1 Generalizing about Virgil: Dialogue, Wisdom, Mission 1

2 Publius Vergilius Maro: A Preamble 26

3 Eclogue Dialogues 40

4 The Georgics: A Repast of Wisdom 75

5 The Aeneid: Mission and Telos 104

6 Virgilian Manuscripts: Codex to Critical Edition 150

7 The Virgilian Legacy 168

8 Further Reading 188

Index 205