Virgil's Ascanius: Imagining the Future in the Aeneid (Cambridge Classical Studies) (English and English Edition)

Ascanius Is The Most Prominent Child Hero In Virgil's Aeneid. He Accompanies His Father From Troy To Italy And Is Present From The First Book Of The Epic To The Last; He Is Destined To Found The City Of Alba Longa And The Julian Family To Which Caesar And Augustus Both Belonged; And He Hunts, Fights, Makes Speeches, And Even Makes A Joke. In This First Book-length Study Of Virgil's Ascanius, Anne Rogerson Demonstrates The Importance Of This Character Not Just To The Augustan Family Tree But To The Texture And The Meaning Of The Aeneid. As A Figure Of Prophecy And A Symbol Both Of Hopes For The Future And Of Present Uncertainties, Ascanius Is A Fusion Of Epic And Dynastic Desires. Compelling Close Readings Of The Representation And Reception Of This Understudied Character Throughout The Aeneid Expose The Unexpectedly Childish Qualities Of Virgil's Heroic Epic-- The Heir And The Spare -- Old Names And New -- Andromache And Dido -- Trojan Games -- Trojan Fire -- Protecting Ascanius -- Growing Up -- Relegating Ascanius. Anne Rogerson. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Le rabat avant de la jaquette indique : "Ascanius is the most prominent child hero in Virgil's Aeneid. He accompanies his father from Troy to Italy and is present from the first book of the epic to the last; he is destined to found the city of Alba Longa and the Julian family to which Caesar and Augustus both belonged; and he hunts, fights, makes speeches, and even makes a joke. In this first book-length study of Virgil's Ascanius, Anne Rogerson demonstrates the importance of this character not just to the Augustan family tree but to the texture and the meaning of the Aeneid. As a figure of prophecy and a symbol both of hopes for the future and of present uncertainties, Ascanius is a fusion of epic and dynastic desires. Compelling close readings of the representation and reception of this understudied character throughout the Aeneid expose the unexpectedly childish qualities of Virgil's heroic epic." "Ascanius is the most prominent child hero in Virgil's Aeneid. He accompanies his father from Troy to Italy and is present from the first book of the epic to the last; he is destined to found the city of Alba Longa and the Julian family to which Caesar and Augustus both belonged; and he hunts, fights, makes speeches, and even makes a joke. In this first book-length study of Virgil's Ascanius, Anne Rogerson demonstrates the importance of this character not just to the Augustan family tree but to the texture and the meaning of the Aeneid. As a figure of prophecy and a symbol both of hopes for the future and of present uncertainties, Ascanius is a fusion of epic and dynastic desires. Compelling close readings of the representation and reception of this understudied character throughout the Aeneid expose the unexpectedly childish qualities of Virgil's heroic epic"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series information 4 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Table of contents 7 Preface and Acknowledgments 8 List of abbreviations 10 1 Introduction 11 2 The Heir and the Spare 25 Ascanius before Virgil 26 Virgil’s Ascanius 31 Virgil’s Silvius 37 Dealing with Inconsistency 41 3 Old Names and New 47 Ilus to Iulus 48 Meaningful Names 58 4 Andromache and Dido 67 Andromache 67 Dido 80 5 Trojan Games 88 Trojan Women 97 6 Trojan Fire 111 Future Greatness 111 Present Danger 120 7 Protecting Ascanius 133 Ascanius and Cupid 134 Jewel-Like Boys 141 8 Growing Up 155 Silvia’s Stag 157 Nisus and Euryalus 164 Numanus Remulus 170 9 Relegating Ascanius 178 Beginning Again 178 Table-Eating 182 Aeneas’ Farewell 193 10 Conclusion 200 Bibliography 214 General Index 235 Locorum Index 240 This book sheds new light on Virgil's Aeneid via a detailed study of Ascanius, Aeneas' young son and ancestor of the emperor Augustus. In a work that will appeal to students of literature, history and childhood studies, Rogerson shows how the characterisation of Ascanius reflects contemporary concerns about Rome's future. Offers a fresh interpretation of Virgil's Aeneid via a detailed study of its child hero, Ascanius, young son of Aeneas