Book Description

This collection of essays honors Alexander Gordon McKay, one of the most respected names in Vergilian studies. Written by some of the world's leading scholars, the essays offer new perspectives on the larger Vergilian world which Dr. McKay's scholarship has so richly illuminated. The Two Worlds of the Poet focuses primarily on Vergil and Augustan literature and art, with several essays that expand the Vergilian theme and reflect the wide research interests of Professor McKay in such areas of classical studies as literature, art, architecture, painting, and sculpture. Vergil's world presents two faces, each inseparable from the other-the world which formed the poet and the world which the poet himself created--and it is proper that a volume which commemorates a scholar whose own work has elucidated both of these worlds should address itself to each. Several essays examine the poet's modus creandi--his use of the simile; his assimilation of the language and motifs of Roman comic drama; his exploitation of the rich store of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman mythological, legendary, and historical material; and his treatment of a variety of themes which touch upon the very essence of the human condition. Other essays touch upon various aspects of Vergil's material and cultural environment, enabling readers to place his created work in a broader perspective. Contributors offer new perspectives on the post-classical treatment of Vergilian themes, illustrating how the reception of Vergil varied with successive generations. The volume concludes with the reflections of the senior statesman of Vergilian criticism upon the scholar's art and mission. Vergil knew that to understand the present it was essential to break out of the narrow circle of the moment and to reach into the past, thereby affirming our own humanity and our place in the world and finding paths into the future. Vergil and his poetry create evocative connections that cut across time and place and culture, providing a glimpse at the universal human experience. The essays in The Two Worlds of the Poet explore Vergil's own struggle to find his place in the world, chronicle the pathway by which we gain entry into the world of the poet, and examine how the world of the poet has influenced and enriched our world. Robert McKay Wilhelm is a professor of Classics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His specialties include Latin literature, Vergilian studies, classical mythology, and Greek and Roman art and archaeology. He earned his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. A professor of Classics at McMaster University, Howard Jones is the author of several books including Pierre Gassendi: An Intellectual Biography and The Epicurean Tradition. He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University.