Lavinia

Ursula K. Le Guin

Lavinia is the Locus Award-winning [1] novel by American author Ursula K. Le Guin.

Published in 2008, it was Le Guin's last novel. It is written in a first-person, self-conscious
style that recounts the life of Lavinia, a minor character in Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid.
Troy has fallen and Rome is a tiny village by the seven hills. Lavinia, daughter of a
local king, has lived in peace and freedom until suitors comes seeking her hand, and a
foreign fleet sails up the Tiber. Now, she tells the story Vergil left untold - her story, her life,
and the love of her life. Troy has fallen. Rome is a tiny village by the seven hills... At the end
of Vergil’s epic poem The Aeneid, the Trojan hero Aeneas, following his destiny, is about to
marry the Italian girl Lavinia. But in the poem, she has played only the slightest part, and
has never spoken a word. Daughter of a local king, Lavinia has lived in peace and freedom,
till suitors came seeking her hand, and a foreign fleet sailed up the Tiber. Now her mother
wants her to marry handsome, ambitious Turnus, but strange omens, prophecies spoken by
the voices of the sacred trees and springs, foretell that she must marry a stranger. And that
she will be the cause of a bitter war. And that her husband will not live long. Lavinia is
determined to follow her own destiny. And when she talks with the spirit of the poet in the
sacred grove, she begins to see that destiny. So she gains her own voice, learning how to tell
the story Vergil left untold — her story, her life, and the love of her life.

When thinking of the epics that tell the tales of Odysseus, Achilles and Aeneas, grand
scenes come to mind. Characters are larger than life, battles are loud and bloody, and the
gods are an ever-present influence over the fortunes of their heroes. If the reader
approaches Lavinia with these expectations, they will be disappointed. It's not an epic; it's a
quiet tale, small and contained. It tells of the things that would have concerned the women
of that time – tending to the hearth and performing home rituals, caring for their children,
ministering to the wounded in battle -- common, mundane matters. Battles happen in the
background for the most part. There are no marble-columned palaces here; what action
there is takes place in a rural community.

The reader's expectations may also be distorted by a well-publicized review by

Publishers Weekly comparing Lavinia favorably to Robert Graves's I, Claudius. Any parallel
that reviewer saw between the two novels is unclear, as the books aren't remotely
equivalent. I, Claudius provide a sense of epic history; Lavinia reads more like a diary.
Anyone selecting Lavinia based on an assumed similarity with I, Claudius will almost
certainly be dissatisfied with it. Le Guin reinvents a decidedly masculine story from the
perspective of a minor female character that ultimately has great influence on history.
Marion Zimmer Bradley (The Mists of Avalon) and Margaret Atwood (The Penelopiad)
have both used this technique, but unlike their writings, Le Guin's novel shows no trace of
feminism. It's purely feminine from start to finish.

Some interesting plot choices bring Lavinia's story to life. The gods are a huge part
of the mythology behind Aeneas's tale. But, like Alessandro Baricco's An Iliad (2006), Le
Guin opts to leave the gods out of her story entirely. People familiar with the epic poem
may find this choice objectionable. Omitting the gods as characters in this novel, however,
makes the tale more human and believable. It allows the reader to sympathize with the
various characters' motivations. People in Lavinia act and react based on human emotions
– jealousy, love, sorrow – instead of events taking place merely because the gods willed it.
The result is a strong, realistic tale, as opposed to another retelling of a well-known myth.

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is Le Guin's inclusion of Vergil's
shade as an important character, using the relationship between it and Lavinia to explore
the dynamics of creator and creation. Lavinia narrates the tale explaining that she's
"contingent" on the poet's imagination. She exists only because he created her, and is
immortal because her death is unrecorded. While at times a bit confusing, it adds a layer of
complexity that work well within the confines of the novel.

Lavinia's strength is the depth of Le Guin's imagination. Lavinia is a fully fleshed out

character. The novel is rich with detail, and Le Guin's scholarship is evident. It won't be for
everyone, but readers who take pleasure in learning what day-to-day life was like in a
distant era will find Lavinia worth their time.