The Epic Distilled
Studies in the Composition of the Aeneid
Nicholas Horsfall
Reviews and Awards
"Horsfall's slender book offers a splendid investigation of the manner in which Vergil composed the Aeneid and the manner in which it was received by his audience. Through its richness Epic Distilled raises many questions for future research, such as about variation in Vergil's audience or the effect of the poet's disguising of his inventions, while, at the same time, its numerous examples provide enticing points from which to begin. Horsfall allows us to overhear Vergil's intellectual dialogue with his readers, and it is a conversation that all those interested in the Aeneid, Vergil, or Roman literature and culture will want to join themselves." --Aaron M. Seider, Classical Journal Online
"Those familiar with [Horsfall's] scholarship will not be surprised at the astonishing display of learning bursting from this book. The allusions and insights he draws upon are at times dizzying, always thrilling and, for this reader, usually convincing." --Andrew M. McClellan, The Classical Review
"This is a truly extraordinary book, more workshop manual than explicatory text. The more one reads, the more one will find matters to pursue in other texts, or translate, or compare and contrast, or make judgements on, or any combination thereof. Latin is needed and access to the great (big as well as good) Horsfall commentaries on the Aeneid. Very self-referential, Horsfall, though the footnotes are plentiful, precise and diverse. And who could resist the epithet 'atrabilious' for one reviewer? It might be advisable to have Google open, if only to relieve you of all the palaver Virgil might have gone to (Chapter 2, 'Ceaselessly wrangling in the birdcage of the Muses') to research his material." --Adrian Spooner, Classics for All
"If you love Virgil's epic, you will want to read this short book...you will derive both pleasure and learning from the continuing unfolding of Professor Nicholas Horsfall's signal contributions to Virgilian studies.1 The present volume is both beautifully produced and well proofread; Oxford Press and editor Charlotte Loveridge deserve special credit for excellent work here...To appreciate fully Horsfall's method and reporting...you really must appreciate the poet's artistry and learning as much as he does. There is a palpable passion in these pages, whether the subject is the toy weapons of Camilla or the trousers of Chloreus...In short, one is left hungry - but the diet prescribed for the patient is another Horsfallian wonder for for which to salivate in eager anticipation - this time around, Aeneid 110 - the advent of which we await with genuine excitement and grateful appreciation for the editor's service both to poet and reader." --Lee Fratantuono, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
