Virgil in the Renaissance [Paperback]

A panoramic account of how Virgil was interpreted by poets and scholars in the Renaissance, from Petrarch to Spenser.For most of the modern era, Virgil was the most admired poet in the classical curriculum. This study tells the story of how poets and scholars interpreted Virgil during the period of his greatest influence, from Dante to the Elizabethans.For most of the modern era, Virgil was the most admired poet in the classical curriculum. This study tells the story of how poets and scholars interpreted Virgil during the period of his greatest influence, from Dante to the Elizabethans.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. What became of Virgil in this period  how he was understood and how his poems were recycled  is an example of something that occurs to every classic when it outlives it original context: the words remain but their meaning becomes unsponsored. 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.Introduction; Part I. Publication: 1. Virgil with an i; Part II. Reputation: 2. Patronage and the Eclogues; 3. Variety and the Georgics; 4. Morals and minimalism; Part III. Interpretation: 5. Virgil's Odyssey; 6. Virgil's Iliad; Epilogue; Appendix A. Virgil commentaries (alphabetical); Appendix B. Virgil commentaries (ranked). Scholars will appreciate Wilson-Okamura's panoramic overview and his synthesis of previous criticism, and less-experienced readers will have no difficulty follĀ