Aeneid Annotated Bibliography

Colleen McCluskey
Professor Brian Sutton
ENG 218
27 November 2015
Annotated Bibliography
Cruttwell, Robert Wilson. Virgil's Mind at Work; an Analysis of the Symbolism of the Aeneid, by
Robert W. Cruttwell. New York: Cooper Square, 1969. Print.
In my research paper, I plan to use the third chapter of Virgil's Mind at Work, "Troy and Rome". In this chapter of the book, Robert Cruttwell discusses the importance of Aeneas's Trojan heritage and his destiny as the eventual founder of Rome. When contrasting Aeneas with other classical epic heroes, Aeneas's similarities to Homer's Trojan hero Hector immediately come to mind. Due to their shared civilization, Aeneas and Hector share similar ideals, such as the importance of their duty to Troy
and their dedication to their families. In "Troy and Rome", Cruttwell provides a detailed analysis of the portions of The Aeneid which mention both Troy itself and Aeneas's relationship to the city in various contexts. However, both characters have many significant differences in terms of personality and motivation. I believe that Cruttwell's line by line analysis of The Aeneid will be useful in my analysis of the differences between Hector and Aeneas. I believe that this chapter will be highly informative because it will provide me with a starting point to compare Hector and Aeneas so that I can contrast them later in my research paper. I consider Virgil's Mind at Work; an Analysis of the Symbolism of the Aeneid is a very good academic source because of the author's credentials; Cruttwell was the recipient of a demyship to Magdalen College at Oxford University where he received a Master of Arts degree. Cruttwell was the recipient of Sir Roger Newdigate's Prize in 1907, an honor shared with authors such as Oscar Wilde. The Newdigate Prize is awarded to an undergraduate student at Oxford University in recognition of the student's production of an eloquently written composition. Cruttwell was awarded the prize for his composition of the poem Camoens.
I believe Virgil's Mind at Work; an Analysis of the Symbolism of the Aeneid is particularly strong as a source for my research paper due to Cruttwell's level of analysis. Cruttwell cites specific line numbers in the original Latin text of The Aeneid, often paying very specific attention to Virgil's literary devices such as word choice, characterization, and continuity. Despite its usefulness, the text is extremely dense, with advanced analysis and vocabulary, making comprehension difficult at times. Given the author's writing style, the book appears to be directed at a particularly invested academic audience, such as Virgilian scholars or graduate students study.

Di Cesare, Mario A. The Altar and the City; A Reading of Vergil's Aeneid [by] Mario A. Di
Cesare. New York: Columbia UP, 1974. Print. I will be using the second, third, and fourth chapters of The Altar and the City; A Reading of Vergil's Aeneid written by Mario A. Di Cesare in my research paper. I specifically chose these chapters because each focuses on a different portion of The Aeneid. Because I am looking to contrast Aeneas's behavior with that of the Greek heroes upon whom his characterization is based, it will be very useful to have a source analyzing specific instances where The Aeneid, The Odyssey, and The Iliad intersect. The chapters I am choosing to review "Troy: The Fall of the City", "The Wanderer", and "Hades: Journey Through the Wood"
Each of these chapters provides an analysis by Di Cesar dealing not only with The Aeneid as a standalone work but with how incidents and themes of Virgil's text correspond to Homer's. This chapters respectively deal with the fall of Troy, the voyage narrative, and the underworld narratives common to both authors' work. I hope to use the points of contrast highlighted in Di Cesar's book to strengthen my argument that Aeneas's characterization has unique elements that set Aeneas apart from other classical Greco-Roman heroes.
I believe that Di Cesar is a trustworthy other and that this article is a good source because of Di Cesar's previous scholarship which indicates he is an expert in his field.
Di Cesar is currently employed as a professor of English and comparative literature at the State University of New York at Binghamton. In addition to his current academic position, Di Cesar also received several honors such as fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Robert Frost Library. Furthermore, Di Cesar has published a number of books that relate directly to the study of ancient literature. These titles include Vida's Christiad and Vergilian Epic and A Concordance to the Complete Writings of George Herbert. I believe that Di Caesar's dedication to learning and the breadth and scope of his scholarship serve as qualifiers for the legitimacy of his analysis of The Aeneid.
I believe that The Altar and the City; A Reading of Vergil's Aeneid has few faults in terms of comprehensibility and content. One of the only issues I encountered while reading this book was the fact that, like many books written by academicians, employs a great deal of advanced academic language and specialized vocabulary. Although it was originally difficult for me to understand some of the specialized terms used in Di Cesar's book, the fact that he gives readily accessible definition makes this an easy hurdle to
clear.
Overall, I consider The Altar and the City; A Reading of Vergil's Aeneid a very strong source due to the highly readable nature of the author's narrative voice and the sequential order in which relevant topics are presented. Di Cesar provides a very easy to understand analysis of the Aeneid as he analyzes the poem in sequential order, beginning with the first book. This chronological presentation of Di Cesar's investigation of the text makes it particularly easy to find relevant sections and navigate the book as a whole. In addition, Di Cesar makes very effective use of the original text and presents a careful examination of plot points, characterization, and other literary devices and their overall importance in the poem.