>>There's certainly no question that Donatus and Servius saw one of the most >>important purposes of the Aeneid to be praise of Augustus, but I think it >>important to keep in mind that they are advancing interpretations from a >>grammarian's point of view. And the grammarians tend to be very >>sympathetic to the idea that poetry and oratory are more or less two >>aspects of the same phenomenon, hence that you can read poetry as though it >>were a kind of versified oratory, and oratory as though it were a kind of >>prose poetry. From this point of view, it will seem natural to regard the >>Aeneid as a sort of very long panegyric. > >Forgive my obtuseness, but I frankly do not see how this follows. > >Furthermore, how can one ignore the Actium episode, for one? Of course the >poem praises Augustus, as well he should be praised by anyone of common >sense then or now. Clearly Vergil, who prized the bridling of both civic >and individual "impius furor" as one of the highest accomplishments of >civilized man, would praise the Princeps for his monumental accomplishment >in bringing peace to a world torn by murderous and incessant civil strife. >Praise, however, is not adulation; Book XII certainly reveals the poet's >innate skepticism regarding the founders and foundation of empires, however >sadly necessary they may be. For Augustus to read this book and still set >aside the poet's last will and testament argues once more his serene >maturity and self-confidence. > >James Lewis >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >13 Sequoia Drive, Wichita KS 67206 USA >316-681-3362 (fax also)
My point was just a formal one: the ancient literary genre of 'praise', laudes, could be instantiated either in poetry or in prose, i.e. oratory. But to think in terms of categories which devalue the poetry/oratory distinction is indicative of a certain way of thinking, one which you find in many of the grammarians and in, for example, the writings of Quintilian or ps.-Longinus. Philosophical writers, on the other hand, tend to emphasize the differences between poetry and oratory. I think your distinction between praise and adulation is very well drawn. Praise need not mean sycophancy. And it is on the occasions when a poet is able to praise the victorious athlete or general that he has his best chance to advise him (if he will listen) and remind him that success is fleeting and that even if people call him a god he is mortal. PT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
