The Loss of Feminine Representation from the Aeneid to the Confessions

Authors

Merlin Douglass, Portland State University

Subjects

Rome (Italy) -- Poetry, Italy -- Rome, Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro)

Abstract

This paper argues that “the change in the power of women from the time of Vergil to the time of Augustine altered the way in which they were represented” in the seminal texts of Vergil’s Aeneid and Augustine’s Confessions. Augustine’s Confessions have long been thought to be inspired by and echoing of the Aeneid. This paper, however, suggests that the striking loss of the female voice from the Aeneid to the Confessions is a result of the changed status of female power between the two time periods as well as a reminder of the purpose of the Confessions: to show how to transcend the world of the flesh (of which females are a part for Augustine) in order to build a life in heaven.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/13109

Recommended Citation

Douglass, Merlin (1990) "The Loss of Feminine Representation from the Aeneid to the Confessions," Anthós Journal (1990-1996): Vol. 1: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/anthos_archives/vol1/iss1/2