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Geography Empire And The Georgics Bloomsbury Studies In Classical Reception

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Published in Virgil S Map: Geography Empire And The Georgics (Bloomsbury Studies In Classical Reception)

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The Georgics, Virgil's didactic poem on agriculture, has been a major source of inspiration for writers and artists throughout history. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the poem's reception in the British Empire, and in particular in its role in shaping British imperial ideology.

This article explores the ways in which the Georgics was used to justify and celebrate British imperialism. It examines the poem's influence on British literature, art, and politics, and argues that it played a key role in the development of British imperial identity.

Virgil’s Map: Geography, Empire, and the Georgics (Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception)

by Carol Sweetenham

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The Georgics and British Literature

The Georgics was first translated into English in 1582 by Abraham Fleming. Fleming's translation was widely read and influential, and it helped to establish the Georgics as a canonical text in English literature.

In the 18th century, the Georgics was a major source of inspiration for the Romantic poets. William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and John Keats all wrote poems that were directly influenced by the Georgics. These poets praised the Georgics for its beauty, its realism, and its celebration of the simple life.

In the 19th century, the Georgics continued to be a popular source of inspiration for British writers. Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote a poem called "The Georgics of Virgil" in 1881, and Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem called "The Recessional" in 1897 that was directly influenced by the Georgics.

The Georgics and British Art

The Georgics has also been a major source of inspiration for British artists. In the 18th century, the artist George Stubbs painted a series of paintings that were based on the Georgics. These paintings depicted scenes of rural life, and they celebrated the beauty and bounty of the British countryside.

In the 19th century, the artist J.M.W. Turner painted a series of paintings that were inspired by the Georgics. These paintings depicted scenes of the British Empire, and they celebrated the power and glory of the British Empire.

The Georgics and British Politics

The Georgics has also been used to justify and celebrate British imperialism. In the 19th century, the British Empire was at its height, and the Georgics was used to promote the idea that the British were a superior race who were destined to rule over the world.

In the 20th century, the Georgics continued to be used to justify British imperialism. In the 1930s, the British government commissioned a new translation of the Georgics by C. Day Lewis. This translation was used to promote the idea that the British Empire was a force for good in the world.

The Georgics has been a major source of inspiration for writers, artists, and politicians throughout history. The poem has been used to justify and celebrate British imperialism, and it has played a key role in the development of British imperial identity.