About this item

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid are three of the most important - and influential - works of Western classical literature. Although they differ in subject matter and authorship, these epic poems share a common purpose: to tell the "deeds both of men and of the gods." Written in an accessible style and ideally suited for classroom use, Communication, Love, and Death in Homer and Virgil offers a unique comparative analysis of these classic works. As author Stephen Ridd explains, the common themes of communication, love, and death respond to "deeply ingrained human needs" and are therefore of perennial interest. Presenting select passages from the original Greek and Latin texts - translated here into modern English - Ridd explores in detail how the characters within the poems communicate on these subjects with one another as well as with the reader.