The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
steveatwaywords's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It seems odd to write a review of this classic which has stood as a pillar for so much of Western tradition. I will say that the Fagles translation is quite accessibly and pleasing to read.Â
What strikes me about this text, which I have most recently read between a study of Homer and Dante, is the cross-over of narratives and themes. Virgil places himself politically in a story space which adapts and follows and builds upon the Iliad while partially mirroring the Odyssey to give the Roman Caesar Augustus a text which will assure him his place in history even while cautioning a conservative and peaceful rule (all at a very interesting era of Roman self-reflection). Read this way, one can understand more the characterizations Virgil makes (the duty-bound hero, the proud traditions of the Latins, the poisons of passion); Aeneus is no Odysseus (represented as a liar, trickster, thief, etc.), but one who will pave the way for a tolerant and enduring Empire (after an ended Republic).
Dante's later reverence for Virgil will steer his own political discourse as he crafts a Christian version of political judgments, merging the polytheistic past with the disparate debates of a forming Christian church, a work which will itself lend power to Milton's later tellings.
It is a shame that The Aeneid was never completed to Virgil's satisfaction. Indeed, he only himself presented some of its books to the Caesar; the main body of the work still required some revision to his mind. But what we have is a work of greatness for all of its idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies.
What strikes me about this text, which I have most recently read between a study of Homer and Dante, is the cross-over of narratives and themes. Virgil places himself politically in a story space which adapts and follows and builds upon the Iliad while partially mirroring the Odyssey to give the Roman Caesar Augustus a text which will assure him his place in history even while cautioning a conservative and peaceful rule (all at a very interesting era of Roman self-reflection). Read this way, one can understand more the characterizations Virgil makes (the duty-bound hero, the proud traditions of the Latins, the poisons of passion); Aeneus is no Odysseus (represented as a liar, trickster, thief, etc.), but one who will pave the way for a tolerant and enduring Empire (after an ended Republic).
Dante's later reverence for Virgil will steer his own political discourse as he crafts a Christian version of political judgments, merging the polytheistic past with the disparate debates of a forming Christian church, a work which will itself lend power to Milton's later tellings.
It is a shame that The Aeneid was never completed to Virgil's satisfaction. Indeed, he only himself presented some of its books to the Caesar; the main body of the work still required some revision to his mind. But what we have is a work of greatness for all of its idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies.
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and War
Moderate: Toxic relationship
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