Fortunatus et ille: Vergil’s Ironic Epicureanism

Heslin, Peter

Abstract

The end of the second book of the Georgics has long puzzled readers. Why does Virgil present such an unrealistically happy view of the life of the farmer here, when the poem offers so many examples of hardship and misery elsewhere? Why do these passages frame Virgil's discussion of his relationship with Epicureanism and Lucretius? I argue that Virgil offers a sustained and sophisticated paradox designed to articulate the difference between philosophical and poetic discourse and to reconcile his personal, public commitment to Epicureanism with the poetry he wrote, especially the epic that he already had had in mind.

Citation

Heslin, P. (2023). Fortunatus et ille: Vergil’s Ironic Epicureanism. In T. H. M. Gellar-Goad, & C. B. Polt (Eds.), Didactic Literature in the Roman World (47-67). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003378051-5

• Online Publication Date: Aug 20, 2023
• Publication Date: Aug 21, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 31, 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 47-67
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Book Title: Didactic Literature in the Roman World
• Chapter Number: 5
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003378051-5
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3360819
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003378051-5/fortunatus-et-ille-peter-heslin