K. W. Gransden - Böcker

This is a book about Virgil's Aeneid, especially the second half of the poem, are explores in some detail Virgil's use of Homer's Iliad. The author's main purpose is to try to re-establish the value and importance of books VII-XII of the Aeneid, which he argues, far from constituting a falling off from the more familiar earlier books, Aeneid VII-XII presents a continuous epic narrative of sustained power, planned and executed on the largest scale and offering a structural unity which matches that of its great model. His secondary purpose is to try to give the modern reader an impression of what Homer's Iliad meant to the implied reader of the Aeneid and to Virgil himself. Throughout, Gransden places emphasis on the text as a piece of continuous narrative, finding that the experience of reading VII-XII modifies the reader's sense of books I-VI. This book will interest all those who enjoy Virgil, whether they are studying Latin or reading the poet in translation. A knowledge of Latin is not essential and those concerned with the techniques of narrative in epic and other fiction will also find the book of value.

Book VIII is one of the most attractive and important books of Virgil's Aeneid. It includes the visit of Aaneas to the site of the future Rome, the story of Hercules and Cacus, the episode between Venus and Vulcan and the description of the great symbolic shield of Aeneas. Mr Gransden's introduction relates this book to the Aeneid as a whole considers the text in various aspects: the topography, Virgil's sense of history, his typology and symbolism, his literary style and his influence on subsequent vernacular poetry. The commentary discusses points of special interest and difficulty in interpretation, style and prosody and gives detailed explanation of the many allusions in Book VIII to customs, legends, traditions and historical events. This is primarily a textbook for university students and sixth-formers, but it also contains material which may be of interest to students of English and comparative literature.

The Aeneid is a landmark of literary narrative and poetic sensibility. This 2004 guide gives a full account of the historical setting and significance of Virgil's epic, and discusses the poet's use of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as the most celebrated episodes in the poem, including the tragedy of Dido and Aeneas' visit to the underworld. The volume examines Virgil's psychological and philosophical insights, and explains the poem's status as the central classic of European culture. The final chapter considers the Aeneid's influence on later writers including Dante and the Romantics. The guide to further reading has been updated and will prove to be an invaluable resource to students coming to The Aeneid for the first time.