f Reimagining Virgil: A Twelfth-Century Humanist Reinvents the Aeneid

This comparative study examines three Virgilian descriptions re-invented by the anonymous medieval romancer of the Roman d'Énéas. They include 1) an allegory («Fama» -Aeneid IV); 2) a dramatic scenario of a siege from Aeneid IX; and 3) the final dramatic struggle between Eneas and his nemesis, Turnus (Book XII). The romance, an amplified version of Virgil’s masterpiece, is a careful re-imagining of the classic. The author’s voice is unique, one that creates a free and original imitation. Through amplification, chronological reorganization, or a reduced role for divine intervention, the result is a humanist-inspired exposition, at once personal and subjective, which draws on mid-twelfth century historical realities.