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The Aeneid
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
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Publisher's summary
The greatness of The Aenied lies in its ability to envelope the listener in an aura of spiritual longing, an effect that hitherto had never been accomplished in ancient literature. This was one of the reasons why The Aeneid remained so popular throughout the Middle Ages. Early Christians were greatly impressed by the pious, noble quality of the hero Aeneas, and to them Virgil was an accessible bridge between the pagan world and their own. And his work remained the model for epic poetry right through the Renaissance and beyond. Dante, Shakespeare, and Milton owe a debt of gratitude to Virgil and The Aeneid which can never be repaid.
The Aeneid is organized into 12 books. This recording includes a brief synopsis of the story prior to the beginning of each book in order to help the listener understand the action of the verse.
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Since his youth, living in poverty in a cave in Italy, Roland's mother has taught him that someday he will be a brave hero like his father, Milon, and serve with the great army of Charlemagne. He learns from her that he is descended from great heroes of old and that his mother is Charlemagne's sister, the Princess Bertha.
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Surprisingly Excellent!
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By: Unknown
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Bulfinch’s Mythology
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- By: Thomas Bulfinch
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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First published in three separate volumes from 1855 to 1863, Bulfinch's Mythology quickly became the standard source of classic tales from ancient Greece and Rome, the Norse tradition, and beyond. This edition contains the full text of The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes, the first volume of Bulfinch's seminal work. From stories of the Greek gods of Mt. Olympus to retellings of the Iliad and the Odyssey, from descriptions of mythological monsters to tales of Hindu and Egyptian deities, Bulfinch's versions of these classic stories bring their characters to life.
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new stories, and covers alot.
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By: Thomas Bulfinch
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She And Allan
- By: H. Rider Haggard
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
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She and Allan is a novel by H. Rider Haggard, first published in 1921. It brought together his two most popular characters, Ayesha from She (to which it serves as a prequel), and Allan Quatermain from King Solomon's Mines. Its significance was recognized by its republication by the Newcastle Publishing Company as the sixth volume of the celebrated Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library series in September 1975.
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Best of the Trilogy
- By emett holloway barfield III on 05-26-19
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The Courtship of Miles Standish
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Complete and unabridged, and read with meticulous care, in this story Miles Standish and John Alden both seek the hand of the fair Priscilla. See the Mayflower abandon the first settlers as it returns to England. Feel the heated vision of the Indians, perpetually keeping their watch in the dark forest. Love and adventure collide in one of Longfellow's most famous works
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Longfellow's poem
- By Jan on 12-04-12
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The Kalevala
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The Kalevala provides a compelling insight into the myths and folklore of Finland. Compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century, this impressive volume follows a tradition of oral storytelling that goes back some 2000 years, and it is often compared to such epic poems as Homer's Odyssey. However, The Kalevala has little in common with the culture of its Nordic neighbors: It is primarily poetic, it is mythical rather than historic, and its heroes solve their problems with magic more often than violence.
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This was Meant to be Read Aloud
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Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained
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Overall
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Performance
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Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.
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SELL YOUR SHIRT FOR THIS AUDIO BOOK!
- By thomas on 04-23-11
By: John Milton
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The Scarlet Plague [Classic Tales Edition]
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- Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins
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Twelve billionaires rule the United States, while those called freemen are forced to serve the rich. But that was 60 years ago, before the Scarlet Plague. In this post-apocalyptic novella, a ragged and tattered old man tells his progeny of what life was like before The Scarlet Plague appeared - and wiped out civilization as they knew it.
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wonderful listen very relevant today!
- By Johnny on 12-02-17
By: Jack London
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Faust
- By: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
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Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is a poem, translated by Bayard Taylor, which tells the beautiful and emotional story of a man who has seen and done it all. However, despite all of his learning and education, his life still feels empty and unaccomplished. He believes wholeheartedly that there is something else out there. Faust, having exhausted all other fields of study, turns to magic for fulfillment. He summons the devil and makes a pact - that if the devil can show him something rewarding and fulfilling, he will give the devil his soul.
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Misleading
- By Grant Pajak on 03-29-17
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The Song of Roland
- By: Michael A. H. Newth - translator
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The Song of Roland is acknowledged today as the first masterpiece of French vernacular literature and one of the world’s greatest epic poems. Written down around the year 1090, The Song of Roland finely crafted verses tell of the betrayal and defeat of Charlemagne’s beloved nephew at the Pass of Roncevaux in the Pyrenees and of the revenge subsequently sought on his behalf.
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Excellent production
- By Tad Davis on 11-09-11
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Great but Abridged
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Not complete
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Great translation
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The Aeneid is one of the greatest works in all of world literature. It is filled with mythology, history, and archaeology; it is infused with patriotism, religious feeling, and pathos; it is rich in adventure and romance. As the story begins, a storm shipwrecks Aeneas and his Trojan followers near Carthage in North Africa. There, Aeneas falls in love with Dido, queen of Carthage. But the gods order him to leave for Italy. In despair, Dido commits suicide. Upon finally reaching Italy, Aeneas goes down into the lower world and learns about his future descendants, the Romans.
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Serviceable, but proceed with caution
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Great story, but....
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The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
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Good but the chapters aren't IN ORDER
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Great but Abridged
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Serviceable, but proceed with caution
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The Iliad of Homer
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For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
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Vandiver never disappoints
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A Classic
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This translation with its admirable projection of the various moods throughout the poem can be recommended to both classicist and non-classicist. -( The Classical World)
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An Excellent Iliad
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The Histories
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Popular for a reason
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The Metamorphoses
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An undeniable masterpiece of Western Civilization, The Metamorphoses is a continuous narrative that covers all the Olympian legends, seamlessly moving from one story to another in a splendid panorama of savage beauty, charm, and wit. All of the gods and heroes familiar to us are represented. Such familiar legends as Hercules, Perseus and Medusa, Daedelus and Icarus, Diana and Actaeon, and many others, are breathtakingly recreated.
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Not that translation mentioned in Amazon reviews
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Worth the price, worth the time
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Fantastic Audio Reading by Griffin!
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The classic trilogy about murder, revenge and justice, as heard on BBC Radio 3 – plus a bonus documentary exploring Aeschylus's seminal Greek tragedy. A chilling tale of homecoming, violent death and bloody vengeance, The Oresteia dates back to the fifth century BC, but its themes still resonate today. At once a family saga, morality tale and courtroom drama, it recounts how two generations of the cursed House of Atreus become locked into a deadly cycle of atrocities....
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Three adaptations, three writers
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Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained
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Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.
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SELL YOUR SHIRT FOR THIS AUDIO BOOK!
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Subtle voice changes help with understanding
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Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the actions of Medea, a former princess of the "barbarian" kingdom of Colchis, and the wife of Jason; she finds her position in the Greek world threatened as Jason leaves her for a Greek princess of Corinth. Medea takes vengeance on Jason by murdering Jason's new wife as well as her own children, after which she escapes to Athens to start a new life.
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Great Narrator makes this story work
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What listeners say about The Aeneid
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Calico Pete
- 05-24-17
Absolutely amazing!
If you enjoyed the Illiad and the Odyssey you will love The Aeneid - a breathtaking, suspenseful, poignant and action packed ride that takes you through the fall of Troy, to the tragic love affair with Dido and the final bloody battlefields of Italy. Behind the journey lurk the vengeful gods, particularly Juno (Hera) dogging Aeneis's steps like an evil witch. Much more so than Homer, Virgil highlights the terrible futility and waste of war. In terms of Charlton Griffin's narration, yes, there is the odd pronunciation of some words that is vaguely irritating but you get used to it and is more than compensated for by a very powerful performance and his surprising ability to so effectively do female voices. Some reviewers commented on a brief summary given at the beginning of each chapter or book - that wasn't part of the audio book I listened to. A very accessible translation. I would thoroughly recommend this audio edition of the The Aeneid!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Paul
- 05-06-14
Doesn't Compare to Homer
Would you try another book from Virgil and/or Charlton Griffin?
Maybe.
Would you ever listen to anything by Virgil again?
Maybe
What does Charlton Griffin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His performance was admirable.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Sure
Any additional comments?
While providing some interesting fill-ins to some historical events (the sacking of Troy, the relationship between Dido and Aeneas, the founding of Rome), the overall story is pretty boring. Aeneas pretty much does what the gods tell him to do, without much personal flare. His apparent heroism doesn't add up to much.
After listening to Homer's The Illiad and The Odyssey, this book is no where near in stature and greatness.
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- Sara Guggenheim
- 04-26-18
Clear and unassuming
The reader reads the book in a clear manner and allows the listener to come to their own conclusions regarding tone and atmosphere of the storyline.
A great way to hear a great book
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- Jefferson
- 05-11-10
A Great Epic--
"Of arms I sing and the hero, destiny's exile," begins Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid, which I just finished enjoying in the Audio Connoisseur version. Though I am no expert, the 1961 verse translation, by Patric Dickinson, feels natural, clear, and pleasurable. The forty-something-minute introduction is illuminating about the strong points as well as the limitations of Virgil's epic. The Aeneid is not The Iliad (but then what is?), for Virgil has almost no sense of humor and too great a belief in Augustan Rome as the acme of world empires. But he also has a rich, noble, and dramatic imagination.
Among the highlights are Aeneas recounting the fall of and escape from Troy, Dido despairing, Aeneas finding the ghost of an assassinated Trojan in a mound pierced by spears that have grown into myrtle shoots, Aeneas visiting the underworld, the Trojans trapping the Latin hero Turnus inside their fortifications only to discover they have bitten off more than they can chew, baby Camilla's father tying her to a spear and throwing it over a river, and Turnus asking a last boon of Aeneas. Such scenes are beautiful, terrible, exciting, moving, fantastic, and heroic.
The production is fine, with good sound quality and ancient Mediterranean-type music introducing and concluding the books. But if you wish to hear the story freshly, you should fast forward past the suspense-killing and superfluous five-minute summaries that introduce each book. Charlton Griffin does a good job here as he does reading The Iliad, varying his pitch and pace to evoke the different emotions and moods of Virgil's many characters and scenes, bringing the poem to life with conviction. However, every book he reads tends to have the Charlton Griffin Rhythm, so you'd better listen to the sample to be sure if you want to hear it for fifteen hours.
Anyway, the Aeneid is an influential and good story that reveals a lot about how ancient Rome saw itself and its origins and about the weakness and heroism in human nature.
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25 people found this helpful
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- Ben
- 12-05-18
A beautiful, ancient, echoing story
The story, much like that of Odysseus, smacks of action movie but lingers like art. A clever, moving translation and powerful reading. Recommended.
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- Light Biaggi
- 01-19-22
amazing read abd translation
amazing , I loved it , his voice is amazing. I was very impressed. sounds effects are on spot
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- David
- 11-16-11
Excess pomposity from reader
Obviously, the Aeneid is awesome.
However, this reader is unbearably pompous and self-indulgent to the point of absurdity. He speaks in a ridiculously plummy upper class accent (although occasional odd slips make me suspect him of being an American faking it). He booms and drawls in slow motion. It's unbearable.
Now, you could argue that Roman epic poetry requires a certain sense of Shakespearean grandeur and that the reader is attempting to give it that. Fair enough. But he reads the introduction in the same style!! "Virgil... was... BORN ... in a village near ... MANTUA..." he intones in his molasses-like way.
Make. It. Stop.
I had to give up after book 2. I wish someone would do a sensible recording that treats Virgil with some respect instead of using him as an opportunity to show off.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Mountain K9iner
- 05-06-15
Short of learning Latin, this is great!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
There are certain works every educated person should read, and the Aeneid is high on the list. Griffin's formal, somewhat stilted reading is appropriate for this text. I have not compared other English translations of the Aeneid, but this one, with a few odd word choices, stayed true to the parts of the original I'm familiar with.
The only reason the story gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that, as classical epics go, Homer is the only one who deserves 5 stars. But then, who can live up to his standards?
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- Austin
- 06-08-19
Performance marred by music
The music in between books was annoying. I wish there were some better complete editions of the Aeneid.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- damianvincent
- 11-17-21
One of the Great Founding Mythos of Western Civ
I absolutely love this brilliance. Follow Aneaus through so much history and the founding Mythos of multiple prominent western nations intertwined together like some brliant tapestry of western civilization and Antiquity itself. From the fall of Troy, to Dido and the founding of Carthage, within the land enclosed inside a single bullshide, to the lands of Latium, Alba longa, and to the great deeds of Romulus and Remus themselves, who go on and found the eturnal city, the capital of the world, Roma Eturna. Anyone one who professes to love western civilization, who professes to fight for our culture, whos lives have benefitted in countless ways from western civilisation. You must read this book. It is the only way to gain the wisdom and beauty of countless heoric, awe inspiring deeds that proceed you, whom you have a sacred duty to preserve and pass on, and lift even higher. .
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