Vergil's Eclogues and Georgics

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Before Vergil wrote the <i>Aeneid</i> he was famous for his <i>Eclogues</i> ("Selections")--short pastoral poems with embedded political notes--and for his <i>Georgics</i>--a poem in four books ostensibly about agricultural practice but which tells tales from mythology, Roman politics and society, along with instructions on animal husbandry, astronomy, and the manners of Hellenistic poetics. In this course we will read these poems and, while enjoying their stunning poetry, will also be considering how and why Vergil weaves so many ethical and aesthetic themes into his contemplation of work, leisure, and the Italian landscape. The background of the Roman civil wars looms behind the poems. Some acquaintance with the <i>Aeneid</i> (in translation is fine) is recommended.