The Primacy of Vision in Virgil's Aeneid

272 Pages·2006·1.79 MB·English

by  Riggs Alden Smith

the primacy of vision in virgil’s Aeneid
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n
the primacy
of vision in
virgil’s Aeneid
n
Riggs Alden Smith
university of texas press
austin
copyright©2005bytheuniversityoftexaspress
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Firstedition,2005
Requestsforpermissiontoreproducematerialfromthiswork
shouldbesenttoPermissions,UniversityofTexasPress,
P.O.Box7819,Austin,TX78713–7819.
(cid:9)Thepaperusedinthisbookmeetstheminimumrequirementsof
ansi/nisoz39.48–1992(r1997)(PermanenceofPaper).
libraryofcongresscataloging-in-publicationdata
Smith,Alden.
TheprimacyofvisioninVirgil’sAeneid/RiggsAldenSmith.—1sted.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn0-292-70657-x(alk.paper)
1.Virgil.Aeneis. 2.Aeneas(Legendarycharacter)inliterature.
3.Epicpoetry,Latin—Historyandcriticism. 4.Visualperceptionin
literature. 5.Artandliterature—Rome. 6.Visionsinliterature.
7.Rome—Inliterature. 8.Visioninliterature. I.Title.
pa6825.s632005
873'.01—dc22
2004028381
n
Dianae,
meae uitae,
forsan et haec olim meminisse iuuabit.
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Contents
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prefaceandacknowledgments ix
textandartacknowledgments xiii
abbreviations xv
chapter1 ProphaenomenaadVergilium 1
Theory 5
Theoria 7
Anteorapatrum 12
TheScopeoftheArgument 21
chapter2 RuseandRevelation:VisionsoftheDivineand
theTelosofNarrative 24
Seen/Unseen 26
GodsRevealed 36
AGodintheMidst 51
chapter3 VisionPastandFuture 60
HectorandthePenates 61
HindsighttoForesight:AndromacheandAeneas 71
ImagoCreusae 77
VisionandTemporalModalityinAeneas’Katabasis 82
Site/SightofRome 90
Conclusion 95
chapter4 Hicamor:Love,Vision,andDestiny 97
Aliudgenusofficii:VisionandtheSecondFavor 98
vii
theprimacyofvisioninvirgil’sAeneid
ViewpointsofDeparture:Deception,Vision,andthe
SeparationofDidoandAeneas 106
FixosOculos 115
Lauiniaqueuenit 121
Conclusion 126
chapter5 Vidi,Vici:Vision’sVictoryandtheTelosof
Narrative 128
FailureofRhetoric(Part1):Effeteoratores 133
DrancesandTurnus:OpposingVisions 139
HerculesandCacus:Light,Darkness,andDiction 147
FailureofRhetoric(Part2):TheFutilityofBattlefield
EntreatyinBooks10–12 152
FailureofRhetoric(Part3):SightMakesRightandthe
Aeneid’sFinale 159
chapter6 Conclusion:Anteoraparentum 176
notes 183
bibliography 223
subjectindex 237
indexlocorum 247
viii
Preface and Acknowledgments
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MydesiretoconsidervisionintheAeneidisinpartderivedfromaninterest
inancientartthatIfirstcultivatedattheIntercollegiateCenterforClassi-
cal Studies in Rome, a program that I attended as an undergraduate under
MarySturgeonandFredAlbertson.Myownresearchaboutecphrasis,which
Iconsideredinmyfirstbook,alsoinfluencedmyconsiderationofthetopic
of vision in the Aeneid. Based on my preliminary studies, I gave papers at
Princeton,Yale,Wesleyan,Columbia,NotreDameofMaryland,AustinCol-
lege,TexasTech,MonmouthCollege,theUniversityofTexasatAustin,the
UniversityofVermont,andlater,atPennandColorado.Whileonlyalittle
of the specific content of any of these lectures has come into this book,
thedevelopmentofmymethodologyisowedtothem,andIwishtothank
each of those departments for a warm reception and lively discussion.To
Denis Feeney, David Quint, Jim O’Hara, Gareth Williams, Sister Thérèse
Dougherty, Robert Cape, Edward George, Karl Galinsky, Tom Sienkewicz,
PhilAmbrose,JoeFarrell,andPeterKnox,andalltheircolleagues,Iexpress
mygratitudehere.
IwishtothankthecommitteesforresearchgrantsandsabbaticalsatBay-
lorUniversity,forwithoutarespitefrommydutiesatBaylorandwithout
adequatefinancialsupportIcouldnothaveundertakenthisproject;special
thankstoWallaceDaniel,ThomasHibbs,DavidJeffrey,DonaldSchmelte-
kopf,andRobertSloanforsupport,encouragement,andvision.Iwouldalso
liketothankTommyeLouDavisfortakingoverasactingchairofthede-
partmentinmyabsence.
IwrotethisbookinPhiladelphia,whereIusedtheresourcesoftheUni-
versityofPennsylvania’sVanPeltLibrary.Iwishtothankthekindlibrarians
there,aswellasthoseofMoodyLibraryatBaylorandoftheClassicsLibrary
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