A Companion to the Aeneid in Translation: Volume 1 - by Christopher Tanfield Hardcover

About the Book

The first guide for students to the Aeneid when read in translation; this volume contains a detailed contextual introduction and cross-edition index.

Book Synopsis

With this three-volume companion, students can access the literary and historical significance of the Aeneid in English through an accessible yet authoritative introduction and line-by-line commentary. Written by a teacher who has taught the Aeneid in both English and Latin for more than twenty years, this guide unpicks Virgil's literary techniques, structures and historical resonances.

Volume 1 gives you a broad introduction to the historical and philosophical background of the epic; to Virgil's life and works; to the central human and divine characters met in the poem; to how the epic reflects Roman society and its values; to Virgil's literary allusions and stylistic techniques; and to the reception and translation of the epic in later periods.

This book also features maps and a family tree so you can trace the travels and lineage of the characters and grasp the geography of the Aeneid's Italy. Plus, the general index to the companion is a valuable reference tool. It can be used with any edition of the Aeneid in Latin or English, as entries are pegged to line numbers.

Volumes 2 and 3 present a line-by-line commentary on the poem, with tables and box features illustrating key narrative arcs and structural patterns.

Review Quotes

"Every future teacher and serious student of Virgil's Aeneid will want these volumes close to hand or readily available in the library." --Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"An unqualified success ... at every point Tanfield puts himself in the shoes of the student reader and has the good teacher's knack of knowing what to explain and what to leave us to work out for ourselves. His scholarship is impeccable and inspiring." --Classics for All

"Tanfield doesn't merely repeat others' observations: he asks questions that others have not explored ... and brings to conventional wisdom a bracing skepticism." --The Classical Journal

"It is a huge enterprise, and Tanfield has done it splendid justice with this magnificent companion, which deserves to be widely used by anyone interested in the Aeneid, Virgil, and Latin literature." --Engelsberg Ideas

"The first volume provides an extensive and invaluable introduction to the Aeneid ... [it] provides useful information that could be used even in a Latin class to introduce the main characters along with the context of the work as a whole." --Journal of Classics Teaching

About the Author

Christopher Tanfield has taught Classics for over twenty years and takes a keen interest in making the subject accessible as widely as possible. His publications include Cicero Philippic II: A Selection and Virgil Aeneid X: A Selection, both published by Bloomsbury.