Virgil: Eclogues (Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics) - Softcover

Virgil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521291070 ISBN 13: 9780521291071

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1977

Synopsis

Pastoral poetry was probably the creation of the Hellenistic poet Theocritus, and he was certainly its most distinguished exponent in Greek. Vergil not only transposed the spirit of Greek pastoral into an Italian setting, blending details from the life of his native countryside into the subsequent history of the genre. On publication the Eclogues won immediate acclaim and Vergil's reputation as a major poet was established. In this edition Robert Coleman describes the earlier pastoral tradition, sets Vergil's poems in historical perspective and evaluates the poet's distinctive contribution to the genre. In the commentary difficulties of interpretation are elucidated. Theocritean influences are examined in detail and points of interest in the language, style and subject-matter discussed. This is the fullest edition of the Eclogues to have appeared in any language and the first in English since the end of the nineteenth century. It is intended primarily for university students and sixth-formers but will be valuable to anyone interested in Latin poetry and the development of the pastoral genre.

About this title

About the Author

Virgil, born in 70 B.C., is best remembered for his masterpiece, The Aeneid. He earned great favor by portraying Augustus as a descendant of the half-god, half-man Aeneas. Although Virgil swore on his deathbed that The Aeneid was incomplete and unworthy, it has been considered one of the greatest works of Western literature for more than two thousand years.

Language Notes

Text: English, Latin

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1977
• ISBN 10: 0521291070
• ISBN 13: 9780521291071
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 312
• Editor: Coleman Robert