Words and the Poet Characteristic Techniques of Style in Vergil's Aeneid

by Lyne, R. O. A. M.

• ISBN13: 9780198148968
• ISBN10: 0198148968
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1990-01-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Throughout his vast literary output, to a surprising extent, Vergil avoided artifacts of poetic diction like archaism and grecism, preferring instead ordinary language that grew from the common stock of the Latin tongue such as colloquialisms and prosaisms. This remarkabley coherent and readable study identifies and categorizes such diction in Vergil's writings showing further how such comparatively unpromising material was converted by the poet's methods of "combination" ( unctura ) into poetry. In a critical analysis, Lyne draws parallels between Horace's procedures in combining works to "make them new," and Vergil's bold combinations which veritably extort unexpected and novel sense.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. v
Vergil's Diction: Context and Definitions	p. 1
Extortion	p. 20
Exploitation: I	p. 38
Narrative Through Imagery	p. 63
Exploitation: II	p. 100
Imagery, Extortion, Exploitation	p. 128
Incitement	p. 149
Acquisition	p. 178
Bibliography	p. 195
Index	p. 199
Index of Passages Discussed	p. 206
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