No, this is not a trick question. And I really don’t know the answer as I haven’t yet finished reading and re-reading the epic.
I have heard stories that in colonial times, the men who made our country read the bible continuously. Once they finished through, they began reading it all over again. The general pace got them through the entire bible each year.
When I first heard this, I wondered why. I think the answer is really the same as the reason for continual painting efforts on structures like the golden gate bridge. Once you are finished through the whole process, the bit that you started with is worn and chipped in your mind and could do with a refresh.
Unlike bridge painting, I have noticed that each time through the bible is almost a new experience. The stories are the same, but the meaning deepens with each visit. Or perhaps you are the one deepening with age so that you may appreciate the story better. I suppose the end result is the same.
And so, too, the Aeneid deepens and grows in my mind with each reading. I never read classic literature in college – I guess liberal arts are lost to those with a science focus in most colleges these days (or at least 30 years ago when I was in college). Either way, I had absolutely no idea what I was missing.
I discovered the Aeneid as part of a set of children’s books that laid out the basic Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid stories for young minds when my kids were little. My son loved the stories and so I read them aloud, but these were the simplified stories – without the power of the poetry – and so I found them largely uninteresting.
And then a number of years ago I turned to the Aeneid again but this time I read a classic translation of the original verse in order to prepare myself for teaching my kids once they were old enough. It was slow going and at times I had to dig deep in order to understand the references and the flow of the story. There were small moments in the story, however, that peeked through in clear focus in my imagination. And I was thrilled.
It was the pursuit of these clear moments that drove me to finish the story and read it again and again. Each time I understood more. And each time the beauty and timelessness of the story shone more strongly.
And then this year I began reading the Aeneid to my children. The magic of the tale is blown into full proportion in my mind when I read it aloud to them. I am not sure if it is because I am finally understanding the nuances and references and can “see” the full extent of that beautiful story in my mind’s eye, or if it is because reading aloud to children with the inflections and varied pacing that allows them to gain maximal understanding only increases your own enjoyment of the story.
Regardless, I love the times that we set aside to read the Aeneid. I can hear the sounds and smell the air and watch the story unfold in full color and stereophonic sound while I read aloud. It grabs me like no other story ever has. The Aeneid is a fascinating contradiction: so full of action and strongly propelled, and yet at the same time so packed with meandering detail and extensive back-story. I really live inside the Aeneid when we read, and it is the most wondrous place I have ever been.
It takes me about 90 minutes to read through a book out of the Aeneid, and yet the time seems to fly by. The amazing part is that my kids, both the typically impatient one and the one who loves Roman and Greek stories, are mesmerized for the entire session. The typically impatient one, asks for word definitions and tosses in analysis of the structure of the story (using phrases like Deus ex Machina – hip-hip-hooray for self-directed learning that falls naturally out of homeschooling!), and the one who loves stories is simply quiet as he takes in the tale. Vergil was a master (yes, I did spell that right – thank you Wesley Callahan!). And reading a master over and over is just like examining your favorite painting again and again. Each time you appreciate new detail and revisit an old friend.
And so the answer is simple: Western Culture is a gift that we have been blessed with and your should read the Aeneid as many times as you possibly can. And you will enjoy each reading more than the last.
Note: I used Roman Roads Media’s lecture series on the Aeneid given by the wonderful Wesley Callahan to guide me through the story the first time and now my kids are going through the curriculum. The insights and perspective make it is well worth the cost!
