Aeneas in the Underworld and Other Essays

<p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Are you fascinated by the </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Aeneid</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> puzzled by the poetry of Catullus or intrigued by Ovid's mythic transformations? Whether you're a student a teacher or a lifelong learner </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Aeneas in the Underworld and Other Essays</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> offers a deeply informed yet highly readable guide through some of Latin literature's greatest masterpieces.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>In this engaging and scholarly collection Stephen Barber a longtime student of English and Latin literature addresses the questions that many readers have and comes up with some new and surprising answers.</span></p><p></p><ul><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Could the fall of Troy have been prevented?</span></li><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Was Dido right to claim she was married to Aeneas?</span></li><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>What did Aeneas actually learn from his descent into the underworld?</span></li><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Is the love between Encolpius and Giton in the </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Satyricon</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> more than parody?</span></li><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Can Virgil's Fourth Eclogue still be read as a prophecy of Christ?</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Reading classical texts through the lens of modern literary criticism Barber examines works by Virgil Ovid Horace Catullus Juvenal Petronius and Apuleius. These essays balance close textual analysis with wider mythic and historical context. Throughout Barber is unafraid to question scholarly consensus and offers compelling alternative interpretations - always with clarity sensitivity and a deep respect for the texts. He also gives a remarkably frank treatment of sexuality and sexual practices in the ancient world.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>If you love Latin literature this book will help you love it more deeply. And if you've never studied it but are curious about why these ancient stories still matter </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Aeneas in the Underworld and Other Essays</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> is the perfect place to begin.</span></p>