Literature Network » Virgil

The Decline and Fall of Virgil in Eighteenth-Century Germany: The Repressed Muse

Content courtesy of

From: Goethe Yearbook
Date: 20080101
Author:Cooksey, Thomas L

Geoffrey Atherton, The Decline and Fall of Virgil in Eighteenth-Century Germany: The Repressed Muse. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2006. xx + 312 pp.

The reception of the Roman poet Virgil underwent profound changes in the eighteenth-century, especially in the German-speaking world.At the beginning of this period Virgil exemplified the aesthetic ideal for poetry, the Aeneid standing as the archetype of the epic. By the end of the eighteenth century, however, many concurred with Schlegel in dismissing the Aeneid as derivative, claiming that Virgil's work did not even qualify as poetry, that he ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Virgil

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.