About this title: Virgil's Homeric epic was not quite completed when he died suddenly in 19 B.C. However, against Virgil's expressed wishes, the emperor Augustus decreed that it be published. It traces the journey of Aeneas to Italy after the Trojan War, where (according to Homer) he was instrumental in the founding of Rome. His voyage is a sequence of reversals and triumphs: great storms, the meeting with Dido, the visit to the underworld. Virgil celebrates the people and places of the Mediterranean, as well as the emperor Augustus and the empire. Written in hexameters, "The Aeneid" is a synthesis of tales ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1990-06-16
ISBN-13:9780679729525ISBN:0679729526
Description: Very Good. 1. Printing Vintage 1990 Edition Trade paperback = very good, 1 faint line on spine, minor edge wear. We ship with Delivery Confirmation. read more
Edition: Reprint. Soft-cover 1970 re-print, of 1953 ed.
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Date Published: 1953
ISBN-13:9780030831867ISBN:0030831865
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Covers slightly 'rubbed', w/slight edge-wear. Pp lightly 'tanned'. Spine NOT creased. NO stains, tears, writing, tight in book. Text in English, Latin. 320 p. Harcourt Series in Marketing, 20. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 1961
Description: Good. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Some edgewear to cover. Pages tanning otherwise good. Edited and with an introduction by Moses Hadas. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin, Harmondsworth
Date Published: 1969
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Paperback in very good condition, some rubbing on corners of cover and spine, some notes written on inside of cover, some writing and underlining in text, VB07. Text in English, Latin. 366 p. table, maps. 19 cm. Penguin classics, L51. Includes: Illustrations, Maps. read more
Description: Good. Minor wear along cover edges, corners and spine, gentle crease on front cover, inside covers/pages tanned, otherwise, clean and tight. 0451622774. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Dover Publications
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780486287492ISBN:0486287491
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. light water staining on top right corner. Text in English, Latin. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 256 p. Dover Thrift Editions. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date Published: 1956
ISBN-13:9780140440515ISBN:0140440518
Description: Acceptable. Overall below average used book. May have highlighting, underlining, notes, price sticker on cover, or be an ex-library book. read more
"Virgil did an excellent job addressing the timelessness of emotions, particularly in regards to his portrayal of lovesick Dido, as well as revealing the most important aspects of traditional Roman culture and stoicism. I really enjoyed this work even though, I must admit, I only read selected books for a class. Out of the two classic works, I would choose The Odyssey over Aeneas' tale. I think that the character of Odysseus is more convincing in regards to his battles with faith, instead of Aeneas who leaves Dido and Carthage because Mercury asked him to.
It may have been cynicism, it may have been exhaustion, or it could have been the fact that I'm fairly fickle, but I wasn't a huge fan of the work. I can't believe that I'm insulting a classic. Maybe I'll re-read it someday, as I think that I can feel the wrath of Juno as I type...."
"I took a queer literature class, and this was one of the books that we were assigned to read. This, to me, seemed to be a much better tale than Homer's Odyssey and Iliad combined. My biased opinion comes because of the tale that is told about Nisus and Euryalus and how much there is hidden within the poem, but also it tells the tale of how the Latin's came to be. There is so much queerness contained within this poem among interactions between the mortals and the God's actions, and there is so much to learn about writing and Roman history from Virgil's masterpiece. The Aeneid is made up of epic storytelling, subtle societal influences, and shows a mastery of human psychology and dactylic hexameter. A delight to read."
"I think that this is the best translation. I know that one loses alot of texture and meaning when it is translated, but Fitzgerald does a beautiful job incorporating the poetic beauty of the work. It is indeed one of my favorite books ever. It is unbelievable in so many ways; first that this was written 2000 years ago, second that it has survived all these years, third that no one has sinse written a story that is as beautiful in both its meaning and its prose. I hate to think this, but this might be the best book ever written. I know that doesnt leave much hope for the future, but we need more writters to pen their words with greater thought. Perhaps it is our language that limits our ability to write so well, or perhaps it is just our imagination which limits our words."
"Virgil's "Aeneid" is one of the great classical poems. In this translation, the esteemed team of Robert Fagles (translator) and Bernard Knox (author of the Introduction) reprise their partnership in Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey."
This epic work begins with the destruction of Troy. Aeneas, one of the Trojans, escapes with many of his fellows and their families. The poem by the Roman poet Virgil outlines the founding of Rome by Aeneas. One interesting feature, as Know puts it, is the use of "characters and incidents from the Homeric epics" (page 12). For instance, Aeneas has a brief encounter with the Cyclops, whom Odysseus confronted. As with the Homeric works, so, too, the "Aeneid." The gods and goddesses routinely intervene to either assist or thwart the Trojans. Their fates are never quite their own. Knox also notes in the Introduction that the "Aeneid" is something that the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" are not-historical. There are many references in Virgil's work to the particulars of Roman history, such as to the beheaded body of Pompey, the Carthaginian Wars, Hannibal, Romulus and Remus, Caesar and Augustus, and so on.
The poem itself begins with the essence of the matter:
"Wars and a man I sing-an exile driven on by Fate, He was the first to flee the coast of Troy, Destined to reach Lavinian shores and Italian soil, Yet many blows he took on land and sea from the gods above- Thanks to cruel Juno's relentless rage-and many losses He bore in battle, too, before he could found a city, bring his gods to Latium, source of the Latin race, The Alban lords and the high walls of Rome."
Thus, this epic addresses the origins of Rome.
The story follows a number of pathways and outlines many remarkable events. The storm that the furious Juno created to destroy Aeneas' escape from the destruction of Troy (itself described most graphically), the arrival of the remains of the fleet at Carthage (where Aeneas and Dido enjoy some time together), the departure from Carthage as Aeneas follows his plan to get to Italy (and the death of Dido), the trip to Sicily, the visit to the Kingdom of the Dead, and so on.
The full epic poem contains many adventures and challenges to Aeneas and his cohort, as they seek to create a new city, Rome. There is much sanguinary fighting and the epic ends "in media res," not altogether ending satisfactorily. Still, a classic.
The translation is wonderful (as far as I can tell), another triumph by Fagles. The lines are clean, as he tries to walk a middle ground, as he puts it (page 390), "between the features of an ancient author and the expectations of a contemporary reader." The team of Fagles and Knox appears to have essayed another successful venture into epic territory."
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