The Primacy of Vision in Virgil's Aeneid

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Ancient & Classical
Cover of the book The Primacy of Vision in Virgil's Aeneid by Riggs Alden Smith, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Riggs Alden Smith ISBN: 9780292756205
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: September 13, 2013
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Riggs Alden Smith
ISBN: 9780292756205
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: September 13, 2013
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
One of the masterpieces of Latin and, indeed, world literature, Virgil's Aeneid was written during the Augustan "renaissance" of architecture, art, and literature that redefined the Roman world in the early years of the empire. This period was marked by a transition from the use of rhetoric as a means of public persuasion to the use of images to display imperial power. Taking a fresh approach to Virgil's epic poem, Riggs Alden Smith argues that the Aeneid fundamentally participates in the Augustan shift from rhetoric to imagery because it gives primacy to vision over speech as the principal means of gathering and conveying information as it recounts the heroic adventures of Aeneas, the legendary founder of Rome.Working from the theories of French phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Smith characterizes Aeneas as a voyant-visible, a person who both sees and is seen and who approaches the world through the faculty of vision. Engaging in close readings of key episodes throughout the poem, Smith shows how Aeneas repeatedly acts on what he sees rather than what he hears. Smith views Aeneas' final act of slaying Turnus, a character associated with the power of oratory, as the victory of vision over rhetoric, a triumph that reflects the ascendancy of visual symbols within Augustan society. Smith's new interpretation of the predominance of vision in the Aeneid makes it plain that Virgil's epic contributes to a new visual culture and a new mythology of Imperial Rome.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
One of the masterpieces of Latin and, indeed, world literature, Virgil's Aeneid was written during the Augustan "renaissance" of architecture, art, and literature that redefined the Roman world in the early years of the empire. This period was marked by a transition from the use of rhetoric as a means of public persuasion to the use of images to display imperial power. Taking a fresh approach to Virgil's epic poem, Riggs Alden Smith argues that the Aeneid fundamentally participates in the Augustan shift from rhetoric to imagery because it gives primacy to vision over speech as the principal means of gathering and conveying information as it recounts the heroic adventures of Aeneas, the legendary founder of Rome.Working from the theories of French phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Smith characterizes Aeneas as a voyant-visible, a person who both sees and is seen and who approaches the world through the faculty of vision. Engaging in close readings of key episodes throughout the poem, Smith shows how Aeneas repeatedly acts on what he sees rather than what he hears. Smith views Aeneas' final act of slaying Turnus, a character associated with the power of oratory, as the victory of vision over rhetoric, a triumph that reflects the ascendancy of visual symbols within Augustan society. Smith's new interpretation of the predominance of vision in the Aeneid makes it plain that Virgil's epic contributes to a new visual culture and a new mythology of Imperial Rome.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Out of the Cloister by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book The United States and Latin America by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Experiencing Nature by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Soldiers of Misfortune by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Of Summits and Sacrifice by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Maya after War by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Corporate Crops by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book From Moon Goddesses to Virgins by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Remembering the Hacienda by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Mexico's Recent Economic Growth by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Border Bandits by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book The Child Who Walks Alone by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Kindler of Souls by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book A Law for the Lion by Riggs Alden Smith
Cover of the book Texas Rangers by Riggs Alden Smith
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy