Text Set
#2
Vergil’s
Aeneid
The Aeneid
is studied during two major points in Knox County’s curriculum: during Latin I
for the basic plot and mythology (including the pseudo-history of Aeneas
bringing the Trojan bloodline to Italy to eventually found Rome); and during AP
Latin IV when students translate selections of it. Therefore, my resources
reflect the different foci which the Aeneid
commands in the classroom. All reading levels are according to Microsoft Word’s
reporting of the Flesch-Kincaid method.
1.
Reading
Virgil: Aeneid I and II, Peter
Jones
a.
Reading Level: 13.1
b.
Description: This text is a translation guide
for the first two books of Vergil’s Aeneid.
(Vergil is short for Publius Vergilius Maro, so the Anglicized form ‘Vergil’ is
more correct than ‘Virgil,’ although English incorrectly accepts both.) It
includes “running vocabulary, learning vocabulary, full grammatical help and
notes” as well as scholarly essays highlighting particular features of Vergil’s
style. It is written specifically for students who have studied Latin but are
just beginning to translate authentic texts.
c.
Rationale for Text: The jump between “I’ve
learned many grammar techniques and translated Neo Latin (Latin written in
modern times by non-native speakers), but haven’t translated authentic texts”
and “I can translate authentic texts with minimum difficulty” is HUGE. As with any language, the Romans
tended to break their own grammar rules when it suited them, and no grammar
course can adequately prepare students for that first foray into real
translation. Guides like this are invaluable for understanding the unusual,
archaic, or alternate forms which a Roman native can use.
2.
Vergil’s Aeneid:
Books I-VI, Clyde Pharr
a.
Reading Level: 12.1
b.
Description: Like Reading Virgil, this book is a translation guide, and it is one of
the standard translation guides available for reading Vergil with high school
students. This edition is nice because it includes the first six books as
opposed to only the first two, and it has a pull-out vocabulary list of Vergil’s
most commonly used vocabulary. This is essential because no Latin course can
teach all the words in the language, or even all the words which a particular
author will use.
c.
Rationale for Text: No translation guide is
fully comprehensive, and having several to refer to offers extra help because
each guide will include notes for different items in the text. In a single
line, the first guide may discuss the verb, the second guide the ellipsed
genitive form, the third the substantive adjective, and the fourth the cultural
implications from the translation. When students first begin to translate, they
need as much help as they can find, which will slowly be removed as they gain
skill in translation.
3.
The Aeneid,
Virgil, trans. Robert Fitzgerald
a.
Reading Level: 6.1
b.
Description: This is a translation of the Aeneid written in poetry lines, as the
original was. (Some translations change it to prose, as keeping both the poetry
format and making the closest translation possible is difficult.) The
translator, Robert Fitzgerald, was a respected Classicist at Harvard
University. The translation is not literal, but it does capture the sense of
the Latin.
c.
Rationale for Text: This translation can by used
by both Latin I students (studying the Aeneid
for the mythology) and Latin IV students (translating the original Latin). For
advanced Latin I students who wish to read the Aeneid, this is an accessible translation which stays true to the
original. For Latin IV students, having a translation which is accurate but not
literal can help them understand a difficult passage without telling them
everything about the grammar in the passage.
4.
Mythology,
Edith Hamilton
a.
Reading Level: 12.1
b.
Description: Edith Hamilton’s Mythology is a small text which
summarizes Greco-Roman myths into a small book, the size of a regular novel. It
includes the myths of individual gods as well as well as explanations of
important larger stories, such as the Trojan War and important mythological
families. It devotes an entire chapter to the events in the Aeneid.
c.
Rationale for Text: This book offers an
excellent summary of the Aeneid, as
well as the events which the Aeneid
grew out of (namely, Homer’s epics and the events of the Trojan War.) It offers
extra background on the mythological figures involved in Vergil’s epic, while
still being short enough that students might actually read it. If students want
to learn more about other myths, it offers them that information.
5.
Classical
Mythology: Sixth Edition, Mark P. O. Morford and Robert J. Lenardon
a.
Reading Level: 16.7
b.
Description: This book is a college-level
textbook for Greco-Roman mythology, and it includes in-depth descriptions of mythology
and culture. It focuses primarily on Greek myths, and it include a lot of
information Homer’s epics.
c.
Rationale for Text: This is a very reliable,
well-researched book on the different myths in ancient Greek and Roman
cultures. Although the section on Vergil’s Aeneid
is small compared to other chapters, it includes lengthy analysis of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, on which the Aeneid
is largely based. Understanding those two epics are central to understanding
the structure of the Aeneid, and it
is something that I would expect my Latin IV students to know.
6.
World
Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics, Donna Rosenberg
a.
Reading Level: 9.2
b.
Description: This book includes myths from every
continent—not just the Greco-Romans. It includes historical and cultural context,
author information, principal characters, and summaries of the text of the
myths, where appropriate.
c.
Rationale for Text: This book is for my students
who learn to enjoy mythology, but want to learn more about myths from different
cultures. I can also use it to have students compare myths and archetypes
between different cultures: if Aeneas was the brave refugee/pilgrim for the
Romans, then who could fill that role for African mythology or far Eastern
mythology?
7.
The
Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology, Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm
a.
Reading Level: 14
b.
Description: The entries are organized by
culture (ex: Greece & Rome, Celtic World, Nordic Lands, etc.) and then
alphabetized. In addition to the short entries (longer ones are about half a
page), the book includes pictures and two-page spreads on themes within that
culture. The themes for Greece and Rome include “Lovers of Zeus”, “Heroes”, “Oracles
and Prophecies”, “Voyagers”, “Monsters and Fabulous Beasts”, “Forces of Nature”,
“Giants”, and “Founders”.
c.
Rationale for Text: This text quickly summarizes
a specific character’s involvement in all the myths in which that character
appears. For more popular characters, such as the gods, this can be valuable.
Knox County requires that students are familiar with the gods in the Aeneid as well as the other myths in
which they appear, and this is an easy way to introduce students to that topic.
8.
The Oxford
History of the Classical World, John Boardman, Jasper Griffin, and Oswyn
Murray
a.
Reading Level: 7.1
b.
Description: This book covers Greek and Roman
history from Archaic Greece through the Roman emperors. It includes information
on mythology, literature, history, philosophy, religion, art and architecture,
and other topics. It also includes analysis on how Greece influenced Rome,
which is particularly relevant to studying Vergil.
c.
Rationale for Text: This book, which is the size
of a large dictionary, includes information which can put the Aeneid in historical context. It was
originally written on a commission from Augustus and includes many references
to politics in Rome during Vergil’s day. With the information from this book,
students can see how those references apply and how they are important.
9.
A Brief
History of the Romans, Mary T. Boatwright, Daniel J. Gargola, and Richard
J. A. Talbert
a.
Reading Level: 13.1
b.
Description: This abbreviated college textbook
covers Roman history from the Iron Age through the fourth century CE. It only
mentions Vergil twice, but it covers both the time period when Aeneas would
have come to Italy and the time period in which Vergil lived.
c.
Rationale for Text: This text is an excellent
resource for the political and military context of Vergil’s writing, both intradiegetically
and extradiegetically. It is an abbreviated form of another textbook, so the
sections are shorter and more approachable for high school students.
10. The Iliad, Homer and Robert Fagle
(trans.)
a.
Reading Level: 5.2
b.
Description: This is a translation of Homer’s Iliad, which the second half of Vergil’s
Aeneid is based on. Robert Fagle was
a respected classicist from Princeton University.
c.
Rationale for Text: Homer was considered the
height of literature and epic in ancient Rome, and Vergil imitates Homer’s two
epics in his epic. For the students who are interested enough in Vergil to want
to read Homer’s epics, I want to have a reliable and high quality translation
available. Having these texts on hand will also allow me to have students
compare the works.
11. The Odyssey, Homer and Robert Fagle
(trans.)
a.
Reading Level: 12.9
b.
Description: This is a translation of Homer’s Odyssey, which the first half of Vergil’s
Aeneid is based on. Robert Fagle was
a respected classicist from Princeton University.
c.
Rationale for Text: Homer was considered the
height of literature and epic in ancient Rome, and Vergil imitates Homer’s two
epics in his epic. For the students who are interested enough in Vergil to want
to read Homer’s epics, I want to have a reliable and high quality translation
available. Having these texts on hand will also allow me to have students
compare the works.
12. Perseus
Classics Collection, Vergil’s Aeneid
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=49BAF9D80F5A1D925BF190C3662029F9?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.02.0055
a.
Reading Level: 5.3
b.
Description: This is a website that serves as a
translation aid. Users can click on a word and a new tab will open showing the
possible definitions and forms of that word, with a percentage rating for how
likely a form or definition is to be the most accurate one. It does show
alternative forms as well, so “deum” (Book I, line 9) is listed as either a “noun pl[ural] masc[uline] gen[itive]
poetic” or a “noun s[in]g[ular] masc[uline] acc[usative]”.
c.
Rationale for Text: Latin has far too many words
for students who are just beginning translating to know all of them, and this
tool allows them to look up new vocabulary words quickly and easily, as well as
to find answers to questions regarding what form a word is. In the example
above, the difference between a genitive plural (“of the gods”) and an
accusative singular (“the gods”) is the difference between a possessive and a
direct object. The former makes sense in context; the latter does not.
13. The
Latin Library Online: Vergil’s Aeneid
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/vergil/aen1.shtml
a.
Reading Level: 5.4
b.
Description: The Latin Library is a free access
website which lists the text of many works of many Roman authors. It does not
include notes or translations, unlike Perseus,
c.
Rationale for Text: It does give students an
easy-to-access Latin text, if they want to print one out to mark up while they
are translating. When I translated throughout college, I always marked my text
with arrows, underlining, notes in the margins, etc. Students in Latin IV who
are learning to translate need to be able to do that, even if they can’t afford
their own copy of the text.
14. SparkNotes:
Aeneid
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/aeneid/
a.
Reading Level: 4.6
b.
Description: SparkNotes is a study resource for
students which is available for free online. It includes summaries of the
social and historical context, author’s life and other works, and the text. For
Latin I students, this is a valuable resource as an alternative to reading the
entire text of the Aeneid, which I do
not expect them to do.
c.
Rationale for Text: I do not expect Latin I
students to read the Aeneid even in
translation—although we may read sections of it in class—and SparkNotes offers
valuable summaries of the whole plot and of each individual book.
15. NoDictionaries.com:
Aeneid
http://nodictionaries.com/vergil/aeneid-1/1-7
a.
Reading Level: 6.2
b.
Description: No Dictionaries is an online
translation resource which allows students to work line-by-line and adjust the
amount of vocabulary help which appears below that line. The adjustments go
from no vocabulary—only text—to definitions for each word in the line.
c.
Rationale for Text: This text is invaluable for
students because it can help students see the definition for an unfamiliar word
quickly, without switching windows or stopping to look in a dictionary. This
can help them keep the flow of translating and hold more pieces of the Latin in
their head at once, which is a difficult skill to master. I know that I always
lost 15-30 minutes whenever anyone interrupted me while I was translating,
simply because I had to look back at the part that I was translating to
reabsorb it.
