Otfried Lieberknecht and Phil Thibodeau are much better versed in this area than I, but let me hazard a layman's explanation not of the golden ratio or the Fibonacci sequence themselves, but on the supposed meaning of these phenomena in Vergil and elsewhere. I see three main possibilities:
1. Vergil, according to the vita tradition, was interested in mathematics. Ex hypothesi, he believed in numerical mysticism or at least symbolism and designed it into his poetry. This is an intentionalist argument, and stands or falls on other grounds than those of whether the reader notices this symbolism or, if s/he does, finds it beautiful. 2. The golden ratio is something that does in fact appear beautiful to human beings, wherever and for whatever reason it occurs. Thus does the shell of a chambered nautilus or the ground plan of the Parthenon or a certain musical interval appear beautiful. Vergil may not have been conscious of the golden ratio, or may not have deliberately attempted to design it into his poetry, but, having an especially fine aesthetic sense, he planned his poems in such a way that they seem to be informed by the golden ratio, and this is (one reason) why readers find them beautiful, whether they have heard of the golden ratio or not: they are responding to something that all human beings naturally find beautiful. 3. A combination of 1 and 2. There is also I suppose 4, all of this is not in fact significant for the interpretation of Vergil, which I personally think is probably the case. As for 1, there are too many historical and technical problems involved in ascribing this kind of numerical symbolism to V., and as for 2, I am disinclined to believe in abstract, universal principles of beauty (and anyway, what about people who don't like the Aeneid? They may all be miscreants, but their opinion argues either that there is no such universal principle, or at least that if there is, the poem is not based on it). But although I regard this as having nothing much to do with V. per se (as distinct of course from the reception of V.), I have always found these theories intrinsically fascinating. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
