Biography Essay

The so-called Appendix Vergiliana represents a collection of minor poetry (some of it most attractive) of the fifty years (or more) after Virgil, attributed to him to gain credit and ensure their survival. Just possibly (though unlikely) two or three of the short pieces called Catalepton may be authentic. The remainder certainly are not. Much of Virgil's biography (Vergil with an e is the classical Roman spelling, normal in Germany, and thence adopted by some in the United Kingdom and the United States, contrary to traditional literary usage) has been discredited: while the lives of the saints and the biographies of Greek poets have been subjected to ever more severe criticism, the biographies of Latin poets have been almost immune to skeptical analysis. The ancient lives of Virgil, however, have now been challenged with vigor: they include much material that has been believed only because it...