Vergil - A Biography

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Vergil, by Tenney FrankThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it,give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online atwww.gutenberg.netTitle: Vergil A BiographyAuthor: Tenney FrankRelease Date: February 6, 2004 [EBook #10960]Language: English*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VERGIL ***Produced by Ted Garvin, Bradley Norton and PG Distributed ProofreadersVERGILA BiographyByTENNEY FRANKProfessor of Latin in the Johns Hopkins University1922T OTHE MEMORY OFW. WARDE FOWLERPREFACEModern literary criticism has accustomed us to interpret our masterpieces in the light of the author's daily experiencesand the conditions of the society in which he lived. The personalities of very few ancient poets, however, can be realized,and this is perhaps the chief reason why their works seem to the average man so cold and remote. Vergil's age, with itsterribly intense struggles, lies hidden behind the opaque mists of twenty centuries: by his very theory of art the poet hasconscientiously drawn a veil between himself and his reader, and the scraps of information about him given us by thefourth century grammarian, Donatus, are inconsistent, at best unauthenticated, and generally irrelevant.Indeed criticism has dealt hard with Donatus' life of Vergil. It has shown that the meager Vita is a ...