If I had to write a blurb to put on the back of this book, it would say "This guy really wants you to love being a Roman!" or maybe "Answers 50% of the questions you had after reading the Illiad!" or perhaps "This might have been commissioned by a Caesar!"
Fact is, I read it because of that second blurb, and what I got out of it was the other two. I can't, of course, leave a review of a work of fiction at that, however. So prepare yourself for a few hundred words of elaboration.
First off, I just want to say that epic poetry can be really fun. I'm sure there are plenty of super dull epics out there, but all the one's I've read (Illiad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Gilgamesh, Beowulf) have been super fun once you get past what is usually fairly obtuse language. And that makes sense when you think about it. These were not written by poets for scholars. These were typically adaptations of popular fire-side stories, told by parents to children and performed for parties and stuff. These were pop-culture superhero blockbusters of the ancient times.
And they definitely come off that way, totally. And the Aeneid is no different. I really enjoyed the fact that this was so transparently a patriotic Roman work about the founding of Rome. It felt kinda familiar as a result. Kinda like "yeah, I can relate, people totally still think like this today." The same motivations that drove people in the Roman Empire to write and read stuff like this continue to drive us to make movies like The Patriot and books like Tom Clancy (wait... you mean that wasn't the title?).
So what I'm driving at is that the Aeneid is entertainment that is right up my alley. And hey, guess what? I thoroughly enjoyed it.
But there was one disappointment. And it deals with my second blurb. I read the Illiad back in middle school. I liked it. I got to the end, thought the final fight between Hector and Achilles was awesome, and then got all geared up for the Trojan Horse and Achilles Heel.
Then the book ended. And none of that happened.
I went on and read the Odyssey, expecting that stuff to be in there, but it totally wasn't. And I couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that the two things people remember the Illiad for the most are the horse and the heel. I was a little confused, to say the least.
It was years before someone told me that all that stuff was in the Aeneid, which was kinda like the Odyssey but written by a dude named Virgil instead of Homer. So I was like, "oh, got it." So I eventually got around to reading the Aeneid and guess what!
Trojan Horse. There in all it's glory. Achilles Heel? Nowhere to be found.
Sorry, spoilers. Though is telling you what isn't in a book or movie really spoilers? Well then, spoiler alert, the starship Enterprise isn't in Age of Ultron.
But yeah. If you want to read the Aeneid because the Illiad ended differently than you expected, keep in mind that Virgil is only going to address half of the questions you ended that book with. I guess the Achilles Heel happens somewhere else entirely.
Which is okay. I'm totally down with reading another 1500 year old superhero story. Bring it on.
Fact is, I read it because of that second blurb, and what I got out of it was the other two. I can't, of course, leave a review of a work of fiction at that, however. So prepare yourself for a few hundred words of elaboration.
First off, I just want to say that epic poetry can be really fun. I'm sure there are plenty of super dull epics out there, but all the one's I've read (Illiad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Gilgamesh, Beowulf) have been super fun once you get past what is usually fairly obtuse language. And that makes sense when you think about it. These were not written by poets for scholars. These were typically adaptations of popular fire-side stories, told by parents to children and performed for parties and stuff. These were pop-culture superhero blockbusters of the ancient times.
And they definitely come off that way, totally. And the Aeneid is no different. I really enjoyed the fact that this was so transparently a patriotic Roman work about the founding of Rome. It felt kinda familiar as a result. Kinda like "yeah, I can relate, people totally still think like this today." The same motivations that drove people in the Roman Empire to write and read stuff like this continue to drive us to make movies like The Patriot and books like Tom Clancy (wait... you mean that wasn't the title?).
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| It's the biggest thing on the cover! |
But there was one disappointment. And it deals with my second blurb. I read the Illiad back in middle school. I liked it. I got to the end, thought the final fight between Hector and Achilles was awesome, and then got all geared up for the Trojan Horse and Achilles Heel.
Then the book ended. And none of that happened.
I went on and read the Odyssey, expecting that stuff to be in there, but it totally wasn't. And I couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that the two things people remember the Illiad for the most are the horse and the heel. I was a little confused, to say the least.
It was years before someone told me that all that stuff was in the Aeneid, which was kinda like the Odyssey but written by a dude named Virgil instead of Homer. So I was like, "oh, got it." So I eventually got around to reading the Aeneid and guess what!
Trojan Horse. There in all it's glory. Achilles Heel? Nowhere to be found.
Sorry, spoilers. Though is telling you what isn't in a book or movie really spoilers? Well then, spoiler alert, the starship Enterprise isn't in Age of Ultron.
But yeah. If you want to read the Aeneid because the Illiad ended differently than you expected, keep in mind that Virgil is only going to address half of the questions you ended that book with. I guess the Achilles Heel happens somewhere else entirely.
Which is okay. I'm totally down with reading another 1500 year old superhero story. Bring it on.
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