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University of Oregon

Virgil's Aeneid, Book 8; An Experiment in Translation

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

English and Latin, though related, are very different languages, Latin with its inflections and small vocabulary, English with its overwhelming word order and expansive lexicon. Any translation from Latin to English will necessarily involve explanatory additions to the text. This is all the more true for Latin poetry, and above all for Virgil, who manages to create surprising and moving expressions line after line. Most modern translators have aimed for a literal version of the Aeneid, at the expense of mirroring in English some of the verbal magic and power of Virgil’s Latin. Dryden and Surrey strove to imitate these Virgilian features and in so doing created living poetry in English. This translation strives to render in English a hint of the power of Virgil’s expressions. And Virgil’s own treatment of Homer and Greek literature and the whole translation-orientated project of early Latin literature lend weight to such an approach.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
M.A.
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Department of Classics
Grantor dc:publisher
University of Oregon
Year dc:date.issued
2019

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Hamel, John
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Bowditch, Lowell

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • All Rights Reserved.
Language dc:language.iso
en_US

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/1794/24910

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Oregon
Base URL
scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/server/oai/request
Last updated
2026-08-21
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Hamel, John. Virgil's Aeneid, Book 8; An Experiment in Translation. masters thesis, University of Oregon, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/1794/24910