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Title details for The Aeneid by Virgil - Available

The Aeneid

by Virgil
W. F. Jackson Knight
Audiobook
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This enduring masterpiece tells of the epic quest of Aenas, who flees the ashes of Troy to found a new civilization: Rome. A unique hero, Aenas struggles and fights not for personal gain but for a civilization that will exist in the far future. Caught between passion and fate, his vision would change the course of the Western world.

Virgil, Rome's greatest poet, turned a mythical legend into a national epic that would survive Rome's collapse to become the most influential book Rome contributes to Western culture.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 13, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483063669
      • File size: 403262 KB
      • Duration: 14:00:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 18, 2006
      Princeton scholar Fagles follows up his celebrated Iliad
      and Odyssey
      with a new, fast-moving, readable rendition of the national epic of ancient Rome. Virgil's long-renowned narrative follows the Trojan warrior Aeneas as he carries his family from his besieged, fallen home, stops in Carthage for a doomed love affair, visits the underworld and founds in Italy, through difficult combat, the settlements that will become, first the Roman republic, and then the empire Virgil knew. Recent translators (such as Allen Mandelbaum) put Virgil's meters into English blank verse. Fagles chooses to forgo meter entirely, which lets him stay literal when he wishes, and grow eloquent when he wants: "Aeneas flies ahead, spurring his dark ranks on and storming/ over the open fields like a cloudburst wiping out the sun." A substantial preface from the eminent classicist Bernard Knox discusses Virgil's place in history, while Fagles himself appends a postscript and notes. Scholars still debate whether Virgil supported or critiqued the empire's expansion; Aeneas' story might prompt new reflection now, when Americans are already thinking about international conflict and the unexpected costs of war.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Charlton Griffin reads Rome's national epic, depicting Aeneas's wanderings from Troy to Italy and the beginnings of the Roman people, in his grand, orotund manner, befitting the poem, though with some characteristically odd pronunciations. He is both agile and sensitive enough, however, to clearly differentiate voices and moods. Each book starts with a helpful summary (though the general introduction is too long), sound effects, and music; the sound effects are dispensable, the music sometimes atmospheric, sometimes just odd. Close attention will reward the listener with a solid presentation of a classic. Despite Griffin's noble efforts, Virgil's catalogues of names, places, and Roman history may send listeners' minds wandering far from the Mediterranean. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      I sing of warfare, and a man at war...From the heart-lifting trumpet fanfare and majestic opening statement, Robert Fitzgerald's stirring, poetic translation of Virgil's great epic depicting the fall of Troy and the founding of the Roman Empire captures the reader's imagination and heart. The characters and situations are so many that HighBridge includes a glossary; however, it's rarely needed. Christopher Ravenscroft carries the reader through the dense, image-laden poetry with power and finesse, separating images and giving each character an indelible impression. The narrative segments are recited in an intense voice with a breathy, "close-to-the mike" quality; these contrast to scenes filled with human drama, such as the opening of the Trojan Horse and the sacking of Troy, the grief and suicide of Dido, and the final battle between Aeneas and Turnus. Here Ravenscroft seems to become the crafty Greek, the despairing lover, the valiant warrior or the jealous heir to the Throne of Latinus. This is a long way from student struggles with " Arma virumque cano..." Don't miss it! L.R.S. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      The ancient epics were the first audiobooks, and this outstanding production of Fagles's new verse translation brings into clear, robust contemporary English a style of storytelling unfamiliar to most readers today. Nobody rolls an "r" or extenuates an "h" like Callow can, and his impeccable articulation captures the necessary bardic dignity and solemnity while keeping pace with this battle-packed tale of Aeneas's wanderings following the defeat of Troy to eventually found the city of Rome. Subtly, with just the lightest musical touch, the interludes suggest a Roman setting and audience, a reading by the bard himself. As fresh as today's wars in its storytelling, this modern evocation of the classical style is one of this year's audiobook events. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      The late poet laureate Cecil Day Lewis's translation of this Roman epic is idiosyncratic, but David Collins's narration is consistently gripping. This is no small achievement, considering how remarkably passive Aeneas is for an epic hero. Letting Virgil do most of the work of distinguishing the characters, Collins brings the drama to life. His portrayal of Dido is particularly moving. Even in this modern (and, to some tastes, too modernized) version, Virgil's classical Latin can be chilly. Collins adds the heat necessary to make us weep, if not for Hecuba, then at least for Dido and Andromache. There are several good recordings of THE AENEID, and we can add this one to the list. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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