Aetna

The seemingly Virgilian poem Aetna has fascinated textual critics for centuries with its highly original and eccentric account of volcanic activity and digressions in praise of physical science, all woven around tale of two brothers who rescue their parents from an eruption. This volume presents Robinson Ellis’s text of the Aetna, as well as his masterful translation and critical commentary on the classic work, accompanied by Katharina Volk’s discussion of Ellis’s scholarly achievements in the Aetna, especially in light of his later career and the history of critical engagement with the poem. An overview of the Aetna since Ellis’s death and a complete bibliography also accompany the text.