Comparative Literature and Culture 1020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Trojan War, Animal Husbandry, Georgics
5 May 2016
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Document Summary
Period of unrest in roman empire, esp. after murder of julius caesar in 44 bc and before octavio augustus caesar took over in 31 bc. Civil wars ended in 31 bc with the battle of actium; augustus caesar defeats. Augustus caesar wins the war and they close the gates to rome (when they have war they open it, when they have peace they close it) Inaugurates the pax romana (the roman peace) that lasts until 193 ad. Augustus goes by several names: octavius (his real name), augustus [= great], Aeneid is written in honour of augustus caesar believes in his political program. Left 3 works: bucolics (suggests countryside) or eclogues (10 short poems about goatherds; pastoral poverty, georgics (life on farm, animal husbandry, crops, aeneid: arms, war. Intertextuality: we didn"t know whom homer was rereading; with virgil we know. Turns back on homeric heroism, but same genre: epic.
