Abstract
No poet′s language has ever been devised for, as it were, analytical dissection and simple registration of facts; it is, on the contrary, meant to arouse the reader′s emotional participation through pleasant recognition, through amazement and through perception of undertones. In Vergil′s poetical language accordingly four effects mingle: The reader is (firstly) summoned to recognize colloquialisms, i.e. sounds of well accustomed talking, but he will (secondly) also react with astonishment to unwonted variations of daily conversation, be it an archaism or a syntactical novelty. Thirdly, the reader will have to constantly feel what is hidden in Vergilian innuendos. Everywhere the attentive reader will detect emotions and motives that Vergilian personalities hide away or cautiously intimate. The fourth effect is surprise: A poetical description may suddenly crop up, some outrageous exaggeration may appear or an unexpected elevation of subject and style, as e.g. in Palaemon′s attempt to make the opponents abandon bickering and gibing in favour of the Earth′s wedding feast, as Friedrich Klingner once termed it.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
