Tag Archives: Aeneid

Apocalyptic Fire Ravages the Nation

For literary equivalents of the west coast fires, look to “The Aeneid” and to Vasily Grossman’s “Life and Fate.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments closed

In a Dark Time, Beowulf Was My Virgil

If Dante had his Virgil, I have Beowulf. Both poets helped up negotiate dark times.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments closed

Better Living through Virgil

When lost in deep depression, Dante turns to his favorite author, Virgil, to help him out.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

In Aeneid, It’s the Wives Who Riot

The riots in the wake of George Floyd’s death recall for me the wives rioting in the Aeneid–another neglected and long-suffering group who are fed up.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

A Literary Survey of What Plagues Mean

A survey of how literary authors have grappled for meaning in times of pestilence bolsters our own search. I look at Sophocles, Virgil, Defoe, Porter, Camus, King, Mandel, Atwood, and Erdrich.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Homer, Virgil & Dante Visit the Afterlife

In my Representative Masterpieces course, I conclude with Dante’s “Inferno,” where we see sinners creating their own hells.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Biden vs. Bernie, Aeneas vs. Turnus

To apply a classic allusion to the Democratic primaries, think of Joe Biden as Aeneas and Bernie Sanders as his foe Turnus. Aeneas wins the battle, Turnus the war.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

In the Face of Trump, Be Aeneas Strong

Virgil’s “Aeneid” gives us images of a strong man standing up to enflamed passions. We need people to step up in the current impeachment debates.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

Will Odysseus Shape 2020 Election?

Monday I won’t take credit for this but Washington Post’s Molly Roberts recently penned a very Better-Living-with Beowulf type column where she contrasted two Democratic presidential candidates by examining which version of the Odysseus/Ulysses story they prefer. Her piece gives me an excuse to apply other versions of the story to various 2020 contenders. Roberts […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed