Homer vs Virgil

[Virgil v2.0]

It's all good

[Dreamless]

I've always had a fondness for Virgil, myself. For many of the reasons you describe, though the main one is just 'cuz it reads better--it feels fresher and more modern. Though that could be 'cuz it is. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif"><P>You gotta give Homer props for being there first, though. And the Aeneid can't help but reference what came before, which makes it really a different sort of poem. And probably a better one.<P>mike

[Virgil v2.0]

Ok, all-out steel cage deatmatch between first epic poet and author of THE Roman epic. Who wins?<P>I go with Virgil, simply because the Aeniead rises above the propaganda puropse it was meant for. Sure, there's plenty of rah-rah let's-conquer-those-guys-over-there, but the irony is the enormous personal and emotional cost to Aeneas. This guy loses everyone that was importaint to him, is forced to make wars he doesn't want, and his life sucks from the first sentance to the last. Virgil weaves in the irony that the cost of empire may not be worth all the imperial glory that he was suppost to highlight.<P>And Emperor Agustus personally approved this. Go figure.<P>Also, The Illiad and Oddesy are transcribed oral traditions, while the Aeniead was written specifically for a literate audience. It works better on the page<P>Of course, I may be slightly biased <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif"><P>-Virgil v2.0