A major new interpretation of Vergil's epic poem as a struggle
between two incompatible versions of the Homeric hero This
compelling book offers an entirely new way of understanding the
Aeneid. Many scholars regard Vergil's poem as an attempt to combine
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey into a single epic. Joseph Farrell
challenges this view, revealing how the Aeneid stages an epic
contest to determine which kind of story it will tell—and what
kind of hero Aeneas will be. Farrell shows how this contest is
provoked by the transgressive goddess Juno, who challenges Vergil
for the soul of his hero and poem. Her goal is to transform the
poem into an Iliad of continuous Trojan persecution instead of an
Odyssey of successful homecoming. Farrell discusses how ancient
critics considered the flexible Odysseus the model of a good leader
but censured the hero of the Iliad, the intransigent Achilles, as a
bad one. He describes how the battle over which kind of leader
Aeneas will prove to be continues throughout the poem, and explores
how this struggle reflects in very different ways on the ethical
legitimacy of Rome’s emperor, Caesar Augustus. By reframing the
Aeneid in this way, Farrell demonstrates how the purpose of the
poem is to confront the reader with an urgent decision between
incompatible possibilities and provoke uncertainty about whether
the poem is a celebration of Augustus or a melancholy reflection on
the discontents of a troubled age.
General
Imprint: |
Princeton University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Martin Classical Lectures |
Release date: |
December 2023 |
First published: |
2021 |
Authors: |
Joseph Farrell
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
384 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-691-22125-0 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-691-22125-1 |
Barcode: |
9780691221250 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!