This study investigates how Virgil transformed ordinary, non-poetic Latin vocabulary into high art through specific techniques of linguistic combination. R. O. A. M. Lyne, a noted scholar of Latin literature, examines Virgil's deliberate avoidance of traditional poetic artifice in favor of colloquialisms and prosaisms. By analyzing the poet's method of 'unctura'—or the art of combining words—Lyne argues that Virgil achieved novelty and depth by recontextualizing common language within the structure of the Aeneid.

Scholars and classicists frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the mechanics of Virgilian style. The prose is noted for its clarity and accessibility, making it a standard reference for students of Latin poetry and literary theory.