. The grandeur that was Rome; a survey of Roman culture and civilisation:. e Pharsalia of Lucan, which, though it contains many a brilliant epigram and \memorable phrase, is to the majority of mankind almost un- ireadable. This is simply because Lucan was consciously pursuing ithe path which Vergil had pointed out and producing work ]which was the logical succession to the style of the ^ Pharsalia is unmixed declamation, rhetoric shouting at |top pitch on page after page. Vergil had accomplished the jliterary epic to perfection: to carry it any further in the same jdirection was to in
. The grandeur that was Rome; a survey of Roman culture and civilisation:. e Pharsalia of Lucan, which, though it contains many a brilliant epigram and \memorable phrase, is to the majority of mankind almost un- ireadable. This is simply because Lucan was consciously pursuing ithe path which Vergil had pointed out and producing work ]which was the logical succession to the style of the ^ Pharsalia is unmixed declamation, rhetoric shouting at |top pitch on page after page. Vergil had accomplished the jliterary epic to perfection: to carry it any further in the same jdirection was to incur tediousness. Above all, both Lucan and \Silius lacked the greatest of all Vergils gifts, his wonderful iear for verbal music. Vergil, like Milton, presented his epic .diluted for mortal ears with music and human nature. It jwas not in the spirit that Lucan failed. He admired the ]republican cause and Pompeius, its champion, quite as sincerely jas Vergil admired Augustus or Milton Cromwell. Thus it was not politics, but the literary gift which caused his failure, 288. Flu. 1.—SACRIFICIAL RITES, PKOBAIJLY AT A TOMB.
Size: 2190px × 1141px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidgrandeurthat, bookyear1920
