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The Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
written by Virgil
Studio : Penguin Classics
by Penguin Classics
Publisher : Penguin Classics
Released : 2008-01-29
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780143105138
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 9 reviews)
List Price : $16.00
Our Price : $8.99
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Product Description |
From the award-winning translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil’s great epic
With his translations of Homer’s classic poems, Robert Fagles gave new life to seminal works of the Western canon and became one of the preeminent translators of our time. His latest achievement completes the magnificent triptych of Western epics. A sweeping story of arms and heroism, The Aeneid follows the adventures of Aeneas, who flees the ashes of Troy to embark upon a tortuous course that brings him to Italy and fulfills his destiny as founder of the Roman people. Retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original, this powerful blend of poetry and myth remains as relevant today as when it was first written. |
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A Serviceable Translation |
Any translation of The Aeneid is an epic undertaking, so our response to it, given the tradeoffs inherent in converting Virgil's high Latin into another language, ought to be at least respectful, and moreover measured by appropriate sensitivity to the translator's purpose. And here, Robert Fagles has set out to convey the material to a modern, English-speaking audience, and he succeeds with a highly readable combination of fidelity and verve.
That's the good news. The bad news is that Fagles is writing to satisfy the proclivities--and no doubt demands--of the anti-formalists who rule academia, publishing and other outlets of our culture today, and this poem suffers for it. Where's the rhythm and musicality? On a more contested note, where's the rhyme? James Falen demonstrated the possibilities vis-à-vis his astounding translation of Eugene Onegin, but here I'm left wondering.
That's not to say the translation is artless. I loved the passages on the fall of Troy and Dido's heartbreak, where Virgil's artful narrative peeps through Fagles's deft, colloquial, and clear-eyed prose. But in other sections of this book, such as Book Five: Funeral Games for Anchises and Book Ten: Captains Fight and Die, the action is presented in a declarative, WYSIWYG style without much of the Roman poet's reputation for shading, reflectiveness and compassion. This works fine in Fagles's translation of The Iliad, which in its Greek form was a key source material for Virgil, but here Virgil's work feels debased, mass-marketed and even plagiarized.
Virgil is no carbon copy of the Greeks, as classic scholars repeatedly say, but in terms of narrative structure and character he was hardly original, either. What made Virgil special was the artisanship behind his work (which was political, but gracefully and passionately evoked the soul) and the way in which he shaped his borrowed material to his--and Augustus's and Rome's--purposes. Sadly, I couldn't find enough of Virgil's art in this edition, and my reading pleasure suffered for it.
Other translations have tried a different tack. A noteworthy example is E. Fairfax Taylor's effort The Aeneid of Virgil - Translated by E. Fairfax Taylor, first published in Spenserian English in 1907: it conveys far more of the hypnotic and cultured feel of Virgil's dactylic hexameter than does Fagles's 2006 offering, but as early 20th century date suggests, the Taylor edition does suffer from language that does, in too many places, take us away from Virgil's world. Another notable translation is Mandelbaum's The Aeneid of Virgil (Bantam Classics). Although this Bantam Classic version is presented in blank verse, the City University of New York professor displays an impressive felicity and artfulness with Virgil's text. I also recommend reading the opening essay by Moses Hadas in Bantam's The Aeneid 1961 edition.
But there's no reference edition of The Aeneid in the English language, at least as far as I can tell. I've sampled a number of them, too. Beside the aforementioned versions, I've checked out Penguin's The Aeneid (Penguin Classics) novelesque translation by David West, Stanley Lombardo's Aeneid excellent but overly conversational attempt, and Robert Fitzgerald's The Aeneid formal, archaic and somewhat inelegant example. All have their pros and cons, and in the end, the best I can say about Virgil is that, despite his enormous influence on our Western culture, he remains entombed in beautiful, mellifluous Latin, waiting, like a passage from his Fourth Eclogue, to realize his deserved actualization.
My Titles
Shadow Fields
Snooker Glen
Dasha |
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It's dense, but what can I say? |
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Okay, so it's dense and difficult to follow -- especially Book 3 -- but if you want to read The Aeneid, this is a great translation. Robert Fagles keeps the poetic imagery of Virgil very well and there are some passages you aren't likely to forget in a hurry. If you're looking for an exciting, easy-to-read book, don't read this. If you're looking for good writing, some history, and an entertaining but long story, this is for you. |
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Who will marry Lavinia???? Turnus or Aeneas? |
There are several reasons Virgil is considered the greatest Latin poet: His poetry is a beautiful portrayal of human emotions, his words that describe actions and events are so mesmerizing that one would forget about the significance of these events.
The Aeneid, the result of eleven years of composition, that Virgil didn't live to complete and ordered to burn before his death but which was published later against his wishes, is Aeneas' journey from Troy to Italy chasing his destiny to find the Roman race in Italy.
Then, as now, there was a struggle to win a relatively unimportant prize. The main theme of the Aeneid is who will marry Lavinia. The cause of the Trojan-Latin struggle is a woman; the main theme of one of the greatest pieces of literature is a woman (talk about treating women as objects) . Sadly it seems to me that all human efforts such as literature, creativity, wars and struggles are driven by desire for power and conquest.
In the Aeneid, the Gods, just like humans, are rivals who avenge each other over perceived wrongs and who focus on individual glory, but with the power to use others as their tools to achieve their goals. Minerva, the Goddess who protects the Greeks during the Trojan War and helps them conquer Troy, was driven by her anger towards Trojan Paris's judgment that announced Venus as the most beautiful among goddesses.
Oddly enough, the reason for the Trojan war in the Aenied is not much different than the reason for the war in Homers' Iliad, where a woman, Helen, was the cause of a crazy war(in this story, Venus played a feminine/evil game to get the title of the most beautiful Goddess).
In 19 B.C., the Aeneid was A tale of vengeance, power, desire, love and prophecies, that is not substantially different from today's' tales of craziness. At least then, the words were charming and had some meaning.
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Fine poetical translation, not literal |
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Am reading this in a seminar on the Aeneid. Fagles' language carries one along, makes for exciting and very enjoyable reading: the glossary and notes are helpful. His version is further from the Latin than other translators---not a defect if one is reading solely for pleasure, but perhaps gives less sense of the orginal--a bit too Shakespearean at times. Of course for those reading the Latin, the very prosaic but literal translation in the Loeb edition will suffice. For what it is, an excellent effort. |
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One of the few classics I had to force myself to finish |
I am a great lover of all things classical. Got my first book of Greek myths in elementary school, started taking Latin in 9th grade, loved the Odyssey, liked the Iliad, love Ovid, Aeschylus, Suetonius, Livy, all the ancient heavy hitters....except Virgil. Robert Fagles does a good job translating, this story just didn't do it for me.
There were a lot of really good exciting bits in the Aeneid, but the whole thing didn't hang together. It seemed really disjointed, like there wasn't a thread uniting the whole thing. I know the thread is supposed to be Aeneas and the last of the Trojans' escape from Troy and wander and struggle to reach Italy and establish their destined empire. But it kept going off on tangents. It started out really well, with the sacking of Troy (here Fagles really shows his skill as a translater) and then just unraveled.
I also found Dido extremely annoying. I know she's supposed to be tragic, but to me she just came across as clingy and spineless. Maybe that's just this translation, or my inability to think in a historical mindset, but it was her choice to hook up with Aeneas even though she knew he wouldn't be sticking around, so I had little patience for her complaints when he left. She was a great queen before he turned up, why couldn't she still be a great queen?
This is one of the few classics I've had to make myself finish. |
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