Virgil: Georgics: Volume 1, Books I-II (Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics) [Paperback]

Virgil (Author), Richard F. Thomas (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521278503 | ISBN-13: 978-0521278508 | Publication Date: July 29, 1988

These two volumes provide a commentary, with text, on Virgil's Georgics, a poem in four books probably written between 35 and 29 BC. The introduction, in Volume 1, treats the poem's historical background and its relationship to the early years of Augustan Rome, Virgil's use of prior literary material, his stylistic and metrical expertise, and questions of poetic structure. There is also a section interpreting the poem in light of recent scholarship, which seeks to consider the poem as part of the broad unity of Virgil's career, rather than from a narrow didactic approach. A new Latin text of the poem is followed by extensive line-by-line commentary, explaining difficult passages, interpreting poetic intent, and tracing the influence of Virgil's Greek and Roman antecedents. A subject index and indexes of important Greek and Latin words conclude each volume.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Will be an important reference for this complex poem....The commentary itself is invaluable."--The Classical Outlook

"I can only note how fortunate we are to have this commentary at last. It will obviously be indispensable to everyone seriously interested in the Georgics."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Mynors' knowledge of the textual tradition and the ancient and modern commentators on the poem is encyclopedic, and his exhaustive research on both the literary antecedents and the technical literature that Vergil used and the linguistic parallels in the contemporary and subsequent authors is marshalled for the task of exegesis with taste and precision. The explication of the poem in light of the natural history of the Mediterranean world is particularly rich. Mynors' formidable scholarship is never heavy-handed, and in it lurks a certain puckish wit....Every library and every Latin scholar should own this book."--The Classical World

"Mynors' enviable knowledge of ancient technology and everyday life--not to mention his familiarity with the scientific, literary, and philological writings that inform or were informed by the poem--make this commentary an indispensable companion piece to Thomas' edition. Anyone who does serious work on the Georgics will have to have access to Mynors' exacting commentary; anyone who cherishes a warm affection for Vergil's exquisite portrait of the Italian countryside will want to."--Vergilius

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, Latin (translation) --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 29, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521278503
• ISBN-13: 978-0521278508
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Latin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Not Virgil's Best", September 4, 2002

By 

Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Georgics (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

The warm and friendly poet from Mantua, Publius Virgilius Maro, in his didactic poem entitled the "Georgics," covers topics relating to farming: in book one he deals with crops, in book two trees and shrubs, in book three livestock, and in book four bees. While several scholars have regarded this work as one of the best Latin poems ever, it must be taken into account that it is, nevertheless, far less entertaining than his famous "Aenied," and much more difficult to read. At times, in the "Georgics," Virgil echoes with that same brilliance many people have come to love in the "Aenied." But for the most part, this poem may be rigorous for anyone not serious about Roman poetry, so it is not recommended for everyone. In context of Virgil's time, this poem easily gets five stars, but the many archaisms found in it tend to alienate modern readers, and so, with much hesitation, the poem receives only three.

7 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars cool, February 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Georgics (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

this book was really informative