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Virgil in English
For T. S. Eliot, Virgil was not merely one of the great masters but 'our classic, the classic of all Europe'. Perhaps no other writer has generated a longer and larger tradition of commentary, translation and imitation.
From Chaucer to W. H. Auden and Robert Lowell, Virgil is a defining presence in English poetry. The Eclogues and Georgics inspired the pastorals of Spenser, Milton and Pope; the Aeneid's pathos, spiritual insights and long-suffering hero - who struggles with doubt, despair and the loss of everything he loves to found the Roman race - made it the model epic. Dryden's complete Virgil in heroic couplets sums up the supersedes his predecessors, yet later translators include Wordsworth, William Morris, Robert Bridges and Cecil Day Lewis. This selection consists largely of extracts from straight translations, along with a number of pieces illustrating Virgil's influence; celebrated episodes like the death of Dido and Aeneas's descent into the underworld appear in several different versions.
From Chaucer to W. H. Auden and Robert Lowell, Virgil is a defining presence in English poetry. The Eclogues and Georgics inspired the pastorals of Spenser, Milton and Pope; the Aeneid's pathos, spiritual insights and long-suffering hero - who struggles with doubt, despair and the loss of everything he loves to found the Roman race - made it the model epic. Dryden's complete Virgil in heroic couplets sums up the supersedes his predecessors, yet later translators include Wordsworth, William Morris, Robert Bridges and Cecil Day Lewis. This selection consists largely of extracts from straight translations, along with a number of pieces illustrating Virgil's influence; celebrated episodes like the death of Dido and Aeneas's descent into the underworld appear in several different versions.
352 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 1996
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About the author
Virgil
4,200 books1,916 followersborn 15 October 70 BC
died 21 September 19 BC
Roman poet Virgil, also Vergil, originally Publius Vergilius Maro, composed the Aeneid , an epic telling after the sack of Troy of the wanderings of Aeneas.
Work of Virgil greatly influenced on western literature; in most notably Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri.
died 21 September 19 BC
Roman poet Virgil, also Vergil, originally Publius Vergilius Maro, composed the Aeneid , an epic telling after the sack of Troy of the wanderings of Aeneas.
Work of Virgil greatly influenced on western literature; in most notably Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 24, 2021
A large proportion of these sauces are from the 17th and 18th century and the pieces are shared among Virgil’s 3 major works: eclogues, georgics & Aeneid.
This edition suffered for me with comparison with Homer in English which I read previously. Virgil’s work just isn’t as interesting as the Homeric epics.
Still a very interesting read
This edition suffered for me with comparison with Homer in English which I read previously. Virgil’s work just isn’t as interesting as the Homeric epics.
Still a very interesting read
January 25, 2021
Really enjoyed Sir John Denham’s translations. And I absolutely loved Charles Cotton’s “mock poem”.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews