Virgil's 'Aeneid': a critical description

the long version

The aim of the present study is to help all who approach the poem seriously (in Latin or in English) to read it with discerning appreciation. Neither a handbook nor commentary, the study provides a critical description, from a number of aspects, of the poetic structure. A detailed analysis of the twelve books is preceded by a preliminary exploration of the poem's central purpose, a careful reconstruction of the historical and artistic circumstances, and a description of the main outlines of the poem's structure. Two further chapters consider a number of theoretical problems, in particular the theory of the 'exploitation of form', and an analysis of the verbal fabric.