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Publius Vergilius Maro, better known to us as Virgil, was the greatest poet ancient Rome ever produced and, unusually for any writer, was acknowledged as such in his own lifetime. His magnum opus, the Aeneid, gives the definitive version of the story of the origin of the Roman people and, at the same time, glorifies Rome and the lineage and person of the emperor Augustus. Or does it?
We shall begin by setting Virgil in the historical context of Augustan Rome and then move on to a brief look at the genres of Latin poetry. Please be assured that no knowledge of Latinis necessary for this course. After a quick trot through Virgil’s early works, the Eclogues and the Georgics, we shall spend most of the day discussing the Aeneid, a poem on which he worked for the last eleven years of his life.
The day will be arranged around five informal sessions, each of which addresses a particular theme. Depending upon the group, we shall read together small sections of the poem and, with suggestions from the tutor, participate in a series of round-table discussions.
1. The Aeneid as a foundation myth
2. The Aeneid as a religious poem
3. Alove story for the ages
4. Comparison of a number of English translations to a literal translation of a short section of the Latin text, as provided by the tutor
5. The Aeneid as a source of inspiration for later art and music
By the end of the day, it is hoped that participants will have acquired an appreciation of the Aeneid as a cornerstone of the Western literary tradition and a personal view on the importance of Virgil who has been said tobe, in the words of TS Eliot, ‘at the centre of European civilization, in a position which no other poet can share or usurp.’ [presidential address to the Virgil Society, 1944]
There is no requirement to have read any of Virgil’s works. Please note that texts will be provided on the day. If, however, you do wish to dipinto the poem before then, there are dozens of English translations on the market, some written as poetry, others as prose, all in varying degrees of fidelity to the Latin text. Some of the more readily and cheaply available are those by Fagles, Fitzgerald, Mandelbaum and Ruden.
The LJC Book Club Study Day aims to provide an opportunity to learn more quickly from the world of literature by reading together one major author or major workin one day.
The London Jesuit Centre Book Club meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month (except August). It is open to anyone who is interested in widening their awareness of spirituality through novels, biographies, and accounts of personal spiritual journeys.
If you have the time, it would be helpful to read Book IV of The Aeneid (tr. Shadi Bartsch, 2020) in its entirety, which we shall be discussing in class on Saturday. It's only about twenty pages long, but there will not be enough time for us to read all of it together, only excerpts. Just read it through quickly to get a feel for the story and for the 'epic world.' We shall also be looking at and discussing other passages not only from The Aeneid, but from Virgil's earlier works as well.
Steven Fachada is both a Classicist (MA, King’s College London) and an Art Historian (Diploma and MA, Courtauld Institute of Art). He taught Latin and Art History at The Community School of Naples (Florida) for a number of years and now teaches Latin at the University of Bologna during the summer. He is currently working on a PhD proposal in Late Antiquity/Early Christianity at King’s College.
