Contents 1. Introduction: Scholarly Approaches to the Felogues since the 19708 Katharina Yolk 2. Arcadia: Modern Occident and Classical Antiquity Brust A. Schmid 62 The Style of Virgil's Belogues RGM. Niet 4, Bucolic nomina in Viegil and ‘Theocrtus: On the Poctic “Technique of Vngil’s Elgues Lorene Rump 5, Allusive Artistry and Vergi’s Revisionary Program: Eelogues 1-3 ‘Thomas K. Hubbard 6, On Flogue1.79-83 Christine G Perkell 7, Vingils Third Eeloguez How Do You Keep an Idiot in Suspense? Jolin Henderson 18. Virgil’ Fourth Belogue: Fasterners and Westerners RGM. Nisbet 9, ‘he Sith Eelogue: Vigil's Poetic Genealogy David 0, Ros 10. An Interpretation ofthe Tenth Belogue Gian Biagio Conte 11. Eclogues in extremis:On the Staying Power of Pastoral Seamus Heaney ibtograp hy Acknowledgements Index of passages cited 48 ot 79 110 125 155 189 216 245 261 285,il Introduction: Scholarly Approaches to the Eclogues since the 1970s Katharina Volk SORTES VERGILIANAF: TRENDS IN VERGILIAN SCHOLARSHIP ‘To an extent unparalleled by any other text from Grasco-Roman antiquity, the works of Vegi have been considered capable of pro- ‘lucing meaning! Their status as an engine of unlimited signification Finds its emblem in the sores Vrgliana, the practice (attested from, the second century aD onward) of consulting Veril’s poems as an oracle by opening the text at random and interpeting the fist verse chaneed on as pertaining to the consultant’ situation? While mod rm erties typically approach Verilin a less laphazard fashion, the ‘aiety of divergent interpretations at which they are able to ative, andthe ways in which thes interpretations respond tothe enguiters ‘own intellectual and ideological concerns, attest to. the. poet's " Thiinoduston hs. a oanteput a at of this ok ster ame: Oxf ous in Clase Sate Vs ag explore gle note "at wa supose tobe a sgl on hme Wen te Pres died ‘op separate ook td, Thad the as tng a he eto ® Wal which expla he Kenic! stucte ofthe tw chapters an el the ‘lap inthe soaon: Redes ated i hn the enn Vegan eh hip described ee play out nthe Cosa ke ocnathe hr lam ‘the ne ea see bey Compan 9 tue el Mar le 897 who ee ons the re cbmc of approaches to eg2 Katharina Volk continuing appeal as @ provider of meaningfal answers to & multi- tude of diferent questions The resultant lack of consensus in Vergilian scholarship has— especially in recent, posttructurlisttimes-—been viewed a8 4 post tive thing, with the inherent openness and polysemy of Ver’ warks being regarded as indicative of their quality. To take just a few examples, 8. |. Harrison concludes the introduction to his 1990 Osjord Readings in Vergi’s ‘Aeneid’ with the observation that ‘the volume and varity of recent criticism is tribute tothe continuing literary interest and stature of the Aeneid’ a work that, inthe same sentence, he characterizes as ‘great poctry’ (20). Also that year Christine G Perkell predicted that future scholarship on the Ecloguee ‘would ‘deemphasize the notion of a proper understanding, of a correct reading, in favor of opening up the text, of acknowledging, ambiguities and not simplifying completes (1990-47). As for the Georges, Philip Hardie’ remark about the story of Acstaeus—that, “to insist on a single interpretation may be to do violence to this polymorphous and Protean text (1998: 45)—could easily be extended to the poem as a whole, about which Hardie concludes that ‘many contemporary readers are left feling that this is a text with more problems than answers’ (52), However, the very elusive ness of the work contributes to its greatness, as maintained, among ‘others, by William W. Batstone, who writes that ‘the diversity of ‘compelling interpretations is part of the Georgi lnger value and ‘meaning’ (1997: 125), If the ability to produce divergent readings is thus, by general consensus, an intrinsic feature of Vergi’s poetry, and if the extant interpretations of his works are as many asthe leaves blown about in the Sibyls cave, giving an overview of Vergilian scholarship is 4 daunting task, one that might appear doomed fom the stat. Fortunately, hough, my purpose in the following pages is rather more circumscribed. Since the present volume is concerned with the Eclogues only, works on the Aeneid and Georgi appeat only in supporting roles. Likewise, since the papers collected here date cxclasively from 1975 onward, my discussion of Verglan criticism ie similarly restricted to works since the 1970s, This starting date is somewhat arbitrary and was chosen on the assumption that schol- acship from the last tind of a century or so may sill be considered Introduction 3 vaguely contemporary. Howeres; beginning with the 1970s also rakes a certain amount of sense since that decade sae & number of important new impulses in the study ofthe Eelagues, ones that have continued to influence scholarship. 00 so eae Inne way or another, Venu’ Fegues (us like the Georgis) have ‘often stood in the shadave of the Aeneid. As an example ofa ‘lowe {genre anda work ofthe poet's youth, the book has been regarded as ‘ultimately preparatory for the great epic, the masterpiece in which \Vergil’s ite and work culminated according tothe teleological view of the poets cateee that is found in the Vit and stl colours percep tions of the Verglian oeuvre today.* While the bucolic mode has This type of approach was clearly influenced by the ‘Harvard School or tro- voices’ pessimistic criticism of the Aeneid, which was going strong, already in the 1960s but lft its mark on the study of Ver’ earlier 4 Te ison oil easing of Vii ‘optimist and penis vey simplistic ad has been sea, eg by those 1980S ee ‘Aap and ‘anal insta! (Thomas ah plats eatin aT tee slenton “Harvard Schoolies an proprio sil te share by ‘choirs fom many univers). Forth seo omenince howe | eka ‘thas eras As for Thoms prt mien na oe ate ie speci feiss dct ome fr of amen hes ae ‘Hai 198: 51 wes apropos of he Geng) noch intercon oe oe fen ‘han no imately pein snc anhiene expend dees) ower amber of scolar na ct Vern pty ned career ‘yan Cones) Balance, a hich pote ead negate mpc ease who ele one beng piney «Geet theta School see Srp 197 76-8; on pester retains of the Ao ce Harn 983 5 Introduction 5 poems with characteristic delay? Ideological readings since this para sligm shit have concentrated on determining the nuances of Vergil’s ‘optimism or pessimism, often concluding that the poet's texts are characterized by a deep and deliberate ambiguity, which mirrors the complexity of the world and of human life as represented in the Poems. It should be pointed out, however, that rent years ave soon ‘areassessment of Vera’ political stance especialy and tha, ina kind fof New Augustanism, scholars these days ate again much more inclined to see the poems as reflecting positively on Octavian and his polities* ‘The second approach might be labelled ‘literary’ and characterizes «wide variety of studies that examine the Fclogues primarily as works ofliteratute. These include discussions of the poems’ genre, anise made especially problematic by the existence ofa long subsequent Ltadition of European pastoral, a gene whose exact relationship to Vergilian bucolic is anything but clear. Another major field of inter: cst—in Latin studies in general and in Vergilian scholarship partcular—has been intertextuality and the ways in which poems illide to and position themselves vs-i-vis theit models, In this context, much attention has been paid to the influence om the elegues of Theocritus and Callimachns. Finally erties have focused ‘on questions of poetics, that is, on how Vegi inthe Ecogues presents his own endeavour and ambition and how he undertakes to inscribe his own efforts into a particular literary tradition, ‘As mentioned above, these two approaches ate not mutually ‘exclusive, Kdcological readings frequently concern themselves with, the role of the poct, while primarily literary studies may have much ‘say about the poems’ political or more generally philososphical steven ete he mons of Mn Pana, ath mst net sei te Sard Slee pt ton the eid C965) Si ete he Fg 970) and ony ar the Agia Seo of hes cnt ponouapon Ve Hob 208 Akeni Kd Thoma 99 mh enn Don Toei) cae an Ags bcs wo the ard Schoo spac, bu woud pyar at Now Angst ce sy off Ags Who fest The contemporary so Fes By comes tds Now gst Hoe ane pone op thepesmithok arated othe comps nes of eg at Sonata he poet oe erg pone huge of Oxi a won cena eh