Author Description

The aim of the present study is to help all who approach the poem seriously (in Latin or in English) to read it with discerning appreciation. Neither a handbook nor commentary, the study provides a critical description, from a number of aspects, of the poetic structure. A detailed analysis of the twelve books is preceded by a preliminary exploration of the poem's central purpose, a careful reconstruction of the historical and artistic circumstances, and a description of the main outlines of the poem's structure. Two further chapters consider a number of theoretical problems, in particular the theory of the 'exploitation of form', and an analysis of the verbal fabric.