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Title: The Aeneid by Virgil, ROBERT FITZGERALD ISBN: 0-679-72952-6 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 16 June, 1990 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.13 (38 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Roman National Epic Comes Alive
Comment: It can be difficult to write a review of one of the milestone pieces of literature of Western civilization. Love it or hate it the Aeneid maintains its position as one of the greatest epics ever composed.
The story is simple enough, Aeneas, a Trojan, and a small band of followers must set out to find a new homeland after the fall of Troy. Virgil's verse translated by Robert Fitzgerald reads like a modern day adventure novel.
The book is divided into roughly two parts: the first half of the poem tells the story of the fall of Troy complete with the greatest description of the Trojan horse story in print. This half of the poem matches the Odyssey of Homer providing a narrative of the unlucky travelers who must move on to their eventual homeland with the help of the gods and fate. Here are the stories of Dido, the funeral games, and the descent into the Underworld.
The second half of the book parallels the Iliad of Homer. This half details the landing at Latium and the war of attrition between the Latins and the Trojans. This includes the epic battle between Turnus and Aeneas.
While the poem has a tendency to become a little tedious it is a monumental piece of literature. Written as a national literary epic for the Roman empire it exemplifies the virtues of heroism, faith and family loyalty that were to be the hallmarks of the good Roman citizen. As an example Aeneas has a tendency to be too heroic and less human but the narrative drive is there all the same. At times the poem reads like a Roman propaganda piece but not too often.
I remember struggling with Virgil in a high school Latin class and wondering what the point was. But now, after twenty years and with the help of an excellent translation the story becomes an enjoyable one indeed.
Rating: 5
Summary: As beautiful as writing gets
Comment: Fitzgerald's translation of the Aeneid is absolutely stunning--beautiful, deeply moving--this is the Aeneid to read. As re: the Aeneid itself, it's fun comparing it to Fitzgerald's Iliad and Odyssey--the latter are serious matters of myth and oral tradition transcribed into written text, whereas the Aeneid is something of a classical potboiler, commissioned to look like Homer's work while aggrandizing certain aspects of Roman history--essentially, Virgil was trying to write a Homeric-flavored bestseller for his emperor. It shows beautifully in this translation--without detracting from the majesty of this epic or the beauty of Virgil's poetry, I think Fitzgerald conveys a lighter, faster-moving feel in this translation than in his treatment of Homer. A lot of the reviews I've read here have praised the beauty of this book--but I'd like to add that along with all that, the Aeneid is also a fun, fast read. There's a reason this story has survived two thousand years... and is still in print! Jump in and read it--you don't need to be an expert to enjoy it, as long as you have a basic acquaintance with the tale of Troy and the Greek pantheon.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great Story, Great Translation
Comment: The Aeneid is the least known of the classical triumvirate of the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid. Some parts are boring, but overall it has a great story. It's basically How Aeneus fled Troy after it's fall to find New Troy, or more commonly known as a little city called Rome. Also, many have ignored the great battle scenes of books 6-12. This is really where the story of the Trojan horse comes from and the phrase "don't trust Greeks bearing gifts" (actually, it's really supposed to be: "Even when Greeks bring gifts, I fear them, gifts and all!") This is the best translation there is, Fitzgerald is a master.
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Title: The Odyssey by Homer, Robert Fitzgerald, D. S. Carne-Ross ISBN: 0374525749 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 05 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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Title: The Iliad by Homer, Robert Fagles, Bernard MacGregor Walker Knox, Bernard MacGregor Walke Knox ISBN: 0140275363 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: November, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Iliad by ROBERT FITZGERALD, Homer ISBN: 0385059418 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 28 June, 1989 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: The Iliad/the Odyssey by Robert Fagles, Bernard Knox ISBN: 0147712556 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: November, 1999 List Price(USD): $30.90 |
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Title: Metamorphoses (Oxford World's Classics) by Ovid, A. D. Melville, E. J. Kenney ISBN: 019283472X Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: July, 1998 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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