Virgil’s cultural studies and discord in an epic context. On an interpretation of Aen. 12.837

A. E. Belikov

doi:10.28995/2686-7249-2024-9-20-29

Virgil’s cultural studies and discord in an epic context. On an interpretation of Aen. 12.837

A. E. Belikov

https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2024-9-20-29

Full Text:

Abstract

The article considers the contexts from Virgil’s Aeneid (2.376–377, 2.420–423, 8.722–723, 12.821–840) with regard to a possible indication of the issue of interlingual communication in the epic. The analysis of the semantics of the words fidus, discors, os (oris), the government of the verbs signare, facere, the realities of the described events in Troy (2.420–423) and in ancient Italy (12.821–840) allows criticizing modern commentaries and translations, suggesting in all or part of the above places a reference to other languages. The expression ora sono discordia signant (2.423) is suggested to be understood as “they mark hostile persons with sound (shout)”, and the expression faciamque omnis uno ore Latinos (12.837) as “and I will make them all – on everyone’s lips – Latins” (which corresponds to the translation by Frederick Ahl). It allows the epic conventionality to remain intact, in which all the gods and heroes of the poem speak to each other in the same language as the author speaks to the reader, and for one of the most important final scenes (12.821–840) to restore symmetry in the requests of Juno and the answers of Jupiter. An indication of the various languages of peoples can only appear as an attribute of culture along with clothing, weapons, etc. (8.722–723, 12.825, 12.834), that is, as an element of description, but not as an indication of the complexity of the communicative situation.

Keywords

Virgil, Aeneid, epic conventionality, commentary, communication,

About the Author

A. E. Belikov

Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Russian Federation

Aleksei E. Belikov, Cand. of Sci. (Philology)

119991, Moscow, bldg. 51, bld. 1, Leninskie Gory; 3, Pervomayskaya St., Dolgoprundy, Moscow Region, 141701

References

1. Adler, E. (2003), Vergil’s empire. Political thought in the Aeneid, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Boulder, New York, USA, Oxford, UK.

2. Fletcher, K.F.B. (2014), Finding Italy. Travel, nation and colonization in Vergil’s Aeneid, The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, USA.

3. Seider, A.M. (2013), Memory in Vergil’s Aeneid. Creating the past, University Printing House, Cambridge, UK.

4. Stahl, H.P. (1990), “The death of Turnus. Augustan Vergil and the political rival”, in Raaflaub, K.A. and Toher, M., eds., Between republic and empire. Interpretations of Augustus and his principate, University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, USA, Oxford, United Kingdom, pp. 174–211.

5. Syed, Ya. (2005), Vergil’s Aeneid and the Roman self. Subject and nation in literary discourse, The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, USA.

6. Austin, R.G. (1964), “Commentary”, in Vergili Maronis Publius, Aeneidos liber secundus, Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK.

7. Weeda, L. (2015), Vergil’s political commentary in the Eclogues, Georgics and Aeneid, De Gruyter Open Ltd, Warsaw, Poland, Berlin, Germany.

8. West, D. (2009), “The end and the meaning Aeneid 12.791-842”, in Stahl, H.-P., ed., Vergil’s Aeneid. Augustan epic and political context, The Classical Press of Wales, Swansea, UK, pp. 303-318.

10.

Supplementary files

For citation: Belikov A.E. Virgil’s cultural studies and discord in an epic context. On an interpretation of Aen. 12.837. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2024;(9):20-29. https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2024-9-20-29

Refbacks

There are currently no refbacks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

ISSN 2073-6355 (Print)

Username
Password