Vergil in the Middle Ages

What it is

This is a scholarly book written by Domenico Comparetti, a professor at the University of Florence, published in 1895 and translated into English by E. F. M. Benecke. It studies how Virgil was remembered, read and even turned into a legendary, almost magical figure during the Middle Ages.

Why it matters

This book is a classic work of scholarship, not something from Virgil's own time, but it shows how later generations reinterpreted him long after his death. It reveals that Virgil's fame did not stay fixed: medieval writers and readers reshaped his image according to their own beliefs and needs.

Look closer

• Why might medieval readers have turned a Roman poet into a legendary figure?
• What can a book about a historical figure's reputation tell you that his own poems cannot?
• How might Comparetti's own time and training as a professor have shaped his interpretation?