At last, a commentary on the Aeneid that doesn't need more decoding devices than Virgil's poem! Dr. Fratantuono's book stands apart for its adherence to a sensible, and yet profound, analysis of a poem that too often in the last several decades hasbeen the testing ground for any number of new approaches to literary criticism. F begins with a heartfelt lament on the way Books VII-XII have been practically ignored in the curricula of American Classical education at all levels. His commentary attemptsto correct this by paying due attention to what V himself considered to be the greater part of his poem. One of my favorite features of F's book is the way the author weaves into his commentary the relevant passages from the poem, and, in so doing, keeps the commentary focused strictly on the passages. The translations, which by F's own admission, do not aspire to any 'literary greatness,' are still some of the best I have ever read. (Perhaps F's description of all translations of the Aeneid as 'betrayals' of the original Latin poem is in fact a tad too harsh.) Like V, who did not compose his opus in a 'linear fashion' but who worked on individual sections as the spirit moved him, F chose to write a commentary which, while remarkably coherent, ca
