Reading Vergil – Classical Studies: Recent Episodes
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Dickinson’s first female African-American student Esther Popel Shaw (1896-1958) was a devoted Latin student, and thirty years after graduation she named classicist Mervin G. Filler as a favorite professor. In the spring of 2017 Michelle E. Hoffer (’17) wrote about the academic experiences of Popel Shaw, with a focus on how she would have encountered the Aeneid. This … Continue reading A Walk with Vergil: Esther Popel Shaw’s Journey with Latin in Dickinson College at the Turn of the 20th Century
Seth Levin discusses the character of Palinurus in Vergil’s Aeneid Cui vix attollēns Palinūrus lūmina fātur: ‘Mēne salis placidī vultum flūctūsque quiētōs ignōrāre iubēs? Mēne huic cōnfīdere mōnstrō? Aenēān crēdam (quid enim?) fallācibus aurīs 850 Tālia dicta dabat, clāvumque adfīxus et haerēns nusquam āmittēbāt oculōsque sub astra tenēbat. Ecce deus rāmum Lēthaeō rōre madentem vīque … Continue reading Podcast: The Chilling Fate of Palinurus (Aeneid 5.847–871)
Hugh Downs discusses the character of Misenus in Vergil’s Aeneid. There are many stories in Roman mythology that involve mortals challenging the gods to contests. One of the best known is the tale of Arachne, the weaver who thought she was better than Minerva. Another less well-known story is that of Marsyas and Apollo. Marsyas … Continue reading Podcast: Ode to a Trumpeter (Aeneid 6.162-174)
Michelle Hoffer discusses Creusa’s farewell speech to Aeneas near the end of Book 2 of Vergil’s Aeneid. ‘Quid tantum īnsānō iuvat indulgēre dolōrī, ō dulcis coniūnx? Nōn haec sine nūmine dīvum ēveniunt; nec tē comitem hinc portāre Creǖsam fās, aut ille sinit superī rēgnātor Olympī. Longa tibi exsilia et vāstum maris aequor arandum, … Continue reading Podcast: Creusa’s Farewell (Aeneid 2.776-789)
William Boyes discusses the character of Misenus in Vergil’s Aeneid. Most people aim to leave a mark on this world before they leave it, whether in the form of having children, or in their career, or contribution to some social movement. But very few can hope for an entire location named after us post … Continue reading Podcast: Misenus the Trumpeter (Aeneid 6.156-164)