Virgil in the Renaissance

Description

The disciplines of classical scholarship were established in their modern form between 1300 and 1600, and Virgil was a test case for many of them. This book is concerned with what became of Virgil in this period, how he was understood, and how his poems were recycled. What did readers assume about Virgil in the long decades between Dante and Sidney, Petrarch and Spenser, Boccaccio and Ariosto? Which commentators had the most influence? What story, if any, was Virgil's Eclogues supposed to tell? What was the status of his Georgics? Which parts of his epic attracted the most imitators? Building on specialized scholarship of the last hundred years, this book provides a panoramic synthesis of what scholars and poets from across Europe believed they could know about Virgil's life and poetry.

David Scott Wilson-Okamura received his PhD from the University of Chicago. He is an Associate Professor of English at East Carolina University.

'Virgil in the Renaissance is that rare thing: a straightforward but subtle and enjoyable work of reference relevant to a wide range of students and scholars.' Renaissance Quarterly 'It is learned, urbane, full of nice details, perceptive readings, and many more good things that will repay a second, and undoubtedly a third and fourth, reading. The book is well-written and there are numerous turns of phrase that reveal the author to be an astute literary critic as well as an accomplished scholar ...' PN Review 'Scholars will appreciate Wilson-Okamura's panoramic overview and his synthesis of previous criticism, and less-experienced readers will have no difficulty following his arguments, even when he refers to poets and epics they have not read.' Choice 'There is much in this book that will be a delight to those who are interested in the reception of Virgil in these periods of intense literary and artistic creativity. ... will be profitably consulted and enjoyed for its rich, panoramic ... presentation of texts that repay closer study ...' Bryn Mawr Classical Review