Author Description
The Eclogues, Georgics, And Aeneid Abound With Plants, Yet Much Vergilian Criticism Underestimates Their Significance Beyond Attractive Background Detail Or The Occasional Symbolic Set-piece. This Volume Joins The Growing Field Of Nature-centred Studies Of Literature, Looking Head-on At Vergil's Plants And Trees To Reveal How Fundamental They Are To An Understanding Of The Poet's Outlook On Religion, Culture, And Mankind's Place Within The World. Divided Into Two Parts, The First Explores The Religious And More Diffusely Numinous Aspects Of Vergil's Plants, From Awe-inspiring Sacred Groves To Divinely Promoted Fields Of Corn, And Shows How Both Cultivated And Uncultivated Plants Fit Within And Help To Shape The Complex Landscape Of Vergilian (and, More Broadly, Roman) Religious Thought. In The Second Half Of The Book, The Focus Shifts Towards Human Interactions With Plants From The Perspectives Of Both Cultivation And Relaxation, Exploring The Love-hate Relationship With Vegetation Which Sometimes Supports And Sometimes Contests The Human Self-image As The World's Dominant Species. Combining A Series Of Close Readings Of A Wide Range Of Passages With The Identification Of Broader Patterns Of Association, Vergil's Green Thoughts Appositely Reveals And Celebrates The Complexity And Variety Of Vergilian Flora. Introduction -- Pt. I: Numen --- Numenous Habitats -- God's Special Species -- Pt. Ii: Homo -- 3. Tame Plants -- Wild Plants -- Weeds -- Conclusions. Rebecca Armstrong. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 299-317) And Indexes.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This volume investigates the overlooked significance of plants and trees within Vergil's major works to determine how they shape the poet's perspective on religion, culture, and the human condition. Rebecca Armstrong, a scholar of classical literature, utilizes close readings of the Eclogues, Georgics, and Aeneid to argue that flora are not merely decorative elements but fundamental components of the Vergilian worldview. By examining the intersection of the divine and the botanical, the author establishes a framework for understanding how Roman religious thought and human self-perception are mediated through the natural environment.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of sacred groves and divinely influenced agricultural landscapes.
- Examination of the relationship between cultivated crops, wild plants, and weeds.
- Exploration of human interaction with vegetation as a reflection of dominance and vulnerability.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses specifically on the works of Vergil rather than broader Latin literature.
- The text does not provide an exhaustive botanical encyclopedia but rather a literary and cultural analysis of plant imagery.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and students of classical literature frequently note that this work provides a necessary shift in focus toward the environmental dimensions of Vergil's poetry. Experts highlight this as a valuable resource for those interested in the intersection of Roman religion and nature-centered literary criticism.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0191746835
ISBN-13:
9780191746833
Nature Studies
Literary Criticism
Poetry Analysis
Virgil
Roman
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