An Introduction to Virgil's Aeneid

by W.A. Camps

This book is geared primarily to students approaching the Aeneid for the first time. It attempts, through discussion of a wide variety of topics, to convey a balanced impression of the nature of the poem as a whole. An appendix includes a version of and ancient Life of Virgil and information about the ancient commentary on him.

Genres: Classics, Nonfiction, Roman, Reference

174 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 1969

Reviews

[Amaranta · Rating 4 out of 5]

ya se me acabaron las ideas de reseñas y goodreads no me reconoce que las estoy haciendo y no entiendo por qué, pero bueno, entonces sólo diré que si leen el índice del libro pues es exactamente eso, y es de muchísima ayuda para estudiar la Eneida, y creo que eso es todo sobre y ya, escribí mucho a la fuerza, adiós.

[Corydon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and reader-friendly introduction, some points further discussed today, though. What is novel about the book is the chapters on the political allusions in the Aeneid.

[Andrew Fairweather]

What do I know, but this seems like a superb introduction to the 'Aeneid.' Camps refrains from any sort of speculative effort, but maybe this is precisely what you want from an introduction. The reader will find plenty to enjoy here, though I got a lot out of his chapters on Fate and the ostensible political references which Virgil makes to the recent events of the civil war. The chapter about the construction and symmetry of events between books I - IV and VII - XII was also very eye-opening, for the tightness of this symmetry completely passed me by, but was certainly felt on a certain level, for the work does feel very "tight."

Camps describes the world of Virgil’s Aeneid as a confused and dismal picture. And yet, as he puts it—"however arbitrary and harsh may be the working of the divine order in general, it is consistent and benevolent towards the Roman state; and whatever the fears and doubts of the individual on his own account, as a citizen he can be confident and grateful that the nation of which he is a part stands under the protection of heaven.”

Perhaps the reason we no longer read the 'Aeneid' is due to our own jaded feelings toward empire (fine by me). And yet, there's something in here for all of us. Camps ends the book with the reflection that, “it was [...] only a generation after Virgil that the seeds of western christendom were spread in the ground prepared by Roman peace by a Greek-speaking Jew from Asia Minor who was, like Virgil, a Roman citizen. But in a world no longer sympathetic to empires some may prefer to reflect that the motive of a poem is only one of its constituents, and not always the most important [...] those who cannot enter with sympathy into Virgil’s conception of Rome may find the meaning of his poem for themselves in its complementary theme, the impact of world forces and world movements on the lives of individuals and the human qualities displayed in their response.”

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book dealing with the historical background, language, characters and main themes.

[Simone Amadeusousia]

The discussion of the texts is useful.

[Samrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid and wide-ranging introduction, some of which is lost of me with my lack of Latin.

[Alex Down · Rating 4 out of 5]

idc what the haters say I was actually a fan of this. quite nerdy I concede. especially useful for informing an essay about the character of Aeneas!

[Johnathan Barazzuol · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent accompaniment to The Aeneid. A slow read and very analytical. Really assisted my appreciation of some chapters I had initially formed opinions about prior to hearing a second angle from a different perspective. If your gonna read the Aeneid this one is a must as well.

[Jo Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great help for studying the Aeneid at age seventeen! Covers all the "English-y" aspects that the examiners expect. Am recommending it to other students, along with certain websites which I suppose I shouldn't advertise in this review... private message me if you want to know more!