It sounds like we teach a similar class. I haven't, though have thought about, using the Aeneid in a course on epic literature from the ancient world to the modern, but I've been afraid that it would be too heavy for a lower division course. So I'm curious about your experience with it that you hint at below.
On another note, those who teach or would teach the Aeneid in translation, which translation(s) would you recommend? L. J. Swain --- alexander bril <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > This is a poem that I know rather well, and I have > been writing about > the reception of the Aeneid for several years. Over > the course of the > last five years, I have taught the poem four times, > and will do so again > in about a month. I confess, however, that I am > consistently > dissatisfied with what happens when I bring this > book into the > classroom. Lately I have been teaching the poem in > translation, > alongside of the Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Lord of > the Rings. The Aeneid > is the second book we read, and it always feels like > a struggle. > > [alexander wrote this:] > > W. Anderson in his *Art of the Aeneid* wrote: 'It is > the common > experience of teachers dealing with humanities > courses or courses in > Greek and Roman literature that the Aeneid fails to > impress the average > student, to a large degree because of the inadequacy > of all > translations... Vergil placed insuperable problems > in the way of > translators: his style, an essential aspect of the > total epic, has not > been, and probably cannot be translated. Unlike > Homer, Vergil did not > produce a poem which would be a "good story" in > itself. Anyone can enjoy > the Odyssey, for example, whether presented in > Victorian prose or in > racy modern verse; its power does not depend so > heavily on the > techniques of oral composition. When Vergil wrote > the Aeneid, the > different times and his own special talents demanded > a thoroughly > conscious exploitation of every relevant stylistic > technique. The art > of the Aeneid, therefore, involves many technical > skills which Vergil, > starting from the experiments of his predecessors, > developed to > near-perfection...' > > There is much food for thought in these words. If > one accepts them, how > is one to escape the feeling that teaching Vergilian > epic in translation > is rather a waste of time? Granted that teaching any > text in translation > inevitably leads to a certain degree of > dissatisfaction on the part of > both teacher and students, how much more is this the > case with the > Aeneid, which, as Anderson argues, depends little on > the story for its > claim to greatness? > > But if one MUST teach the Aeneid in translation, I > think the only way to > go about doing this is to concentrate on a few parts > only -- preferably > the more dramatic parts. I suggest that it will help > students to > appreciate something of the Aeneid's greatness if > one can by means of > these few selected sections illustrate -- along the > lines set out by the > great Vergilian scholar Heinze -- some of the > salient features of > Vergil's consummate epic technique, especially his > handling of the > mythological and literary traditions of his > predecessors, his judicious > composition (unity, sequence of scenes, organisation > etc.), his subtle > exploitation of dramatic and emotive elements, his > intellectualisation > of simplistic traditional characters and plot > situations etc. Much of > this illustration can be done with little or no > reference to language > and style, the two stumbling blocks for many > Latin-less students which > stand in the way of their more profound appreciation > of the text. Like > Heinze, one can easily show how Vergil's accounts, > for the purposes of > epic, far surpass analogous accounts in Quintus, > Apollodorus, > Tryphiodorus etc. > > This method also has the virtue of circumventing the > need to give crash > courses on ancient geography and history, the > benefit of which must be > weighed against the time constraints imposed on the > text-in-translation > course. > > Only a detailed study of a few selected passages > (given the time > constraints of teaching a course within one year in > which other texts > are also studied) can, in my view, leave students > with something > approaching true appreciation of the Aeneid's > greatness. Anything more > rapid or superficial, will only result in something > like those idiotic 2 > week pan-European tours for the > culturally-illiterate epicurean swine > brigade. Those who've been on them, can say they've > been there (to > Europe) and they've seen the sights, but none of > them can tell you > anything really significant about what they've seen > and (should) have > experienced. > > > alexander > perth, australia > > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system > (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.516 / Virus Database: 313 - Release > Date: 9/1/2003 > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
