The Aeneid of Virgil | 
so-soThere were parts where the poetry was moving, but minus: the story of Dido; the sea voyage Aeneas has; and some sobering war scenes, this mostly read like a piece of propaganda, but I would read again. This time I read Robert Fagles verse translation, I found it to be an easy read.
#Fiction #books #readaway2024 #eBook #Romance #mythology #war #epic poetry
I sing of arms and of the man, fated to be an exile, who long since left the land of Troy and came to Italy to the shores of Lavinium; and a great pounding he took by land and sea at the hands of the heavenly gods because of the fierce and unforgetting anger of Juno. #firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl
pickDisplays how fate can be all powerful, that when one is destined to a certain end, that end will be met no matter how divergent the alternate path may be. The Aeneid portrays destiny but also portrays the human animal spirits lust for war and constant imperialism throughout the ages. In every civilization, no matter how powerful, will irrevocably dwindle back down to their pre-imperial state or worse. “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
1. Shane we‘ve been friends for 20 years. He stood up for me in 4th grade and let me play football with the boys.
2. St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
3. Sunscreen and surfboard wax
4. The Iliad and the Odyssey
5. Whoever wants to do this too!
"I feel once more the scars of the old flame."
From Book IV of Virgil's epic masterpiece, The Aeneid.
Some unfairly consider this as just a fanfic of The Iliad, but I think there's something about Virgil's sensibilities that make this work stand out and truly shine on its own.
#poetry #classics #history
Not enjoying this as much as The Odyssey - too much war. I get bored with war. 🤨 I don‘t see The Iliad in my reading future.
Inspired by listening to, and reading, Natalie Haynes to revisit the Aeneid for the first time since my O Levels, but maybe not yet up to reading it in Latin again. #virgil #aeneid #nataliehaynes #classics #book #books #bookstagram #currentlyreading #classicalliterature #latin #coffee #booksandcoffee #coffeeandbooks #caffeine #caffeineaddict #wakeupandsmellthecoffee #muswellhill #muswellhillbilly #n10 #cotebrasseriemuswellhill
pickWhile The Aeneid is a worthwhile read, I must admit that the combination of its propaganda for Augustus and its being so derivative of Homer decreased my enjoyment. Even in translation, the poetry is beautiful. Carthage Queen Dido and the warrior Camilla are both great characters. Despite the pot shots at Ulysses (Odysseus), this story of a Trojan remnant founding what will become Rome is an epic worth reading, but only after Homer.
I apologize for being MIA this month. Rehearsals for Dido and Aeneas have been INSANE! I play a witch and a lady of the night and I‘m having so much fun! The costuming and staging we‘re doing is so unique. Steampunk is awesome. When I took this picture I had already removed my zip off sleeves(!) but I can assure you they‘re so cool and flowy!! Also, my lips are like that for the whole show, not just for the prostitute scene. #didoandaeneas
🎶Listen, you know I love you,
but I just can't take this,
You know I love you,
but I'm playing for keeps,
Although I need you,
I'm not gonna make this,
You know I want to,
but I'm in too deep.🎶
...Poor Dido. 💔😭
#rocktober #intoodeep
I start my second year BA in Classical Studies in October and I am so excited. This year had been so important to me because I never thought I'd get this chance to reach for my dreams. I'm thrilled to be continuing and look forward to choosing my options next year. I am leaning towards Roman society, culture, mythology and Latin as my majors with minor in Greek mythology. It's such an amazing subject to be studying. #classics #virgil #booklover
So, as a 36 year old adult, I've recently gone back to school for the first time in several years to finish my English degree. (That's why I haven't posted in a while) At the risk of sounding like a jerk, does anyone else struggle with discussing literature with people who aren't book nerds? I continually want to shake my classmates when they make ridiculous comments (fortunately, the class is online). I don't get how they don't get things.
so-soI finally finished!!! I read the first half for a #Coursera course, and it was great. Without the supporting lectures and info I really struggled with the second half. So many names, who's important? How does this fit into Italian history/myth? Etc. but I'm done, yay me! #thewesterncanon
#PSA: Barnes and Noble is having a sale on their classics collection. $5 each. #sundayfunday
pickThe hero Aeneas flees the burning wreckage of his beloved city of Troy, destined to found a new city in Rome. I enjoyed seeing shades of both the Iliad and the Odyssey with this epic poem, though much of the Roman history went over my head. Apparently on his deathbed Virgil urged Emperor Augustus to burn this poem because it's unfinished. Thank gods he didn't. This heroic saga practically begs for re-reads in its complexity.
I saw @Well-ReadNeck post about 745 books she'd hoarded on her kindle. Just thought I'd post a pic of the current total on my tablet. It's a bit hard to see with the flash glare but it's 7113. Of which, over the years, I've read almost half.
Aeneas carries his father Anchises on his back as they escape from the sacking of Troy. I'd say that takes some serious #muscles. #aprilbookshowers
#feistyfeb Day 17: #fanfic! I sure didn't think I'd read any fan fiction but I decided to do some googling, and what do you know, you can totally squeeze these books into that box! Paradise Lost is a riff on the Bible (like many other books) The Aeneid is the unofficial sequel to The Odyssey and Wide Sargasso Sea is about minor characters in Jane Eyre. Score!
Ten books down, two to go. I WILL finish this.
I started this book in early December, for a #Coursera course. The first half or so was required. I've been trying to finish it ever since. It is sooo slow, and I wish I had more lectures to help me through, because I am sure I am missing a lot. I have about 65 pages to go. I try to read 10 pages a day, but don't always manage. #slowreads #readjanuary
Phew! #coursera course completed! I did all of every reading--except the very last, Ovid, because I have been down with an awful virus this week (worse than a cold, but only lasts 5 days). The lectures got me through!
THE foundational epic about the city of Rome and a fantastic book on ancient cities, which of course includes #Rome. #fictionnonfictionpairing #seasonsreadings2016 🏛📚❤️
#coursera Greek and Roman mythology week 9--finally starting Rome! And just 2 weeks to go, yippee! This week's assignment is only books 1-5 (out of twelve). I'll be finishing this--in a few more weeks!
"This is the place of shades, of sleep and of slumbering night"
Book 6 "The Underworld"
a rare moment of idyllic peace in the Aenid, right before the tragic deaths of Nisus and Euryalus. #classics #classicsarekillingme #theaenid #virgil
"If I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell." Read Virgil's epic poem of the Trojan Aeneas who travels to Italy and becomes the ancestor of the Romans. Just added to the Serial Reader app!
pickI didn't have high hopes for this translation, having remembered the Fitzgerald fondly from grad school, but in the end This was so good it made me think less of Homer.
