Perhaps of interest for anyone teaching Vergil’s Aeneid: Troy Reborn: The Journey of Aeneas, is a retelling of Vergil’s work that presents opportunities to debate topics that remain important today. Among them are these:
- In portraying Aeneas, should his exploits as a warrior be presented as heroic, or should war be depicted as a savage enterprise that should not be glorified? In Troy Reborn, Aeneas gradually becomes horrified by war, especially his own role on the battlefield. Is this an important message today, when wars continue in our world?
- Some of the female characters in Troy Reborn, especially Dido, queen of Carthage, and Camilla, a feared warrior, are treated condescendingly by Aeneas and Turnus. The women, however, assert themselves and display their skills: in Dido’s case, her talent for creating and ruling Carthage, and for Camilla, her fierce accomplishments in battle. These illustrate how foolish the men’s lack of respect has been. Does similar treatment of women persist today, and if so, what might be done about it?
[Troy Reborn: The Journey of Aeneas by Philip Seib (Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California) is available from Amazon, Amazon Kindle, and sales@indieauthorbooks.com.]