The Cambridge Companion to Virgil

Presents stimulating chapters on Virgil and his reception, offering an authoritative overview of the current state of Virgilian studies.

Gives a rich and broad overview of Virgil, Virgilian reception over the centuries, and Virgilian studies. An introduction for students and their teachers and a touchstone for seasoned scholars; also ideal for scholars in other disciplines, anyone interested in the classical tradition, and general readers.The poet Virgil remains the most significant and influential figure in Latin literature, and this expanded and updated Companion covers his life, work, and reception from antiquity to the present. The Aeneid, the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the Appendix Vergiliana are all discussed, as are art, history, politics, and philosophy; Virgil's literary style is carefully explored along with poetic traditions before and since, and chapters engage with his poems and their reception from perspectives including intertextuality, narratology, gender theory, philology and historicism. Leading authors cover topics from translations and commentaries to genre, authority, and characterisation, providing revised and updated recommendations for further reading. This volume is an accessible introduction to Virgil and his legacy for students and teachers, while also providing wide-ranging and in-depth investigations that will appeal to scholars of classical literature and other disciplines.