Some Researches on the Tomb of Virgil on Mount Posilipo

Peignot, Gabriel, 1767-1849Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8

Word count: 53K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Quelques recherches sur le tombeau de Virgile au mont Pausilipe (1840) by PeignotAuthor: Peignot, Gabriel, 1767-1849,Language: French, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Jan 25, 2006

Editor's review

This French study by Gabriel Péniot, written in 1840, surveys the literature on the claim that Virgil's tomb was on Mount Posillipo; it is a small specialized study in the reception history of classical scholarship. Its value lies not in offering a final answer but in showing how a nineteenth-century scholar cross-checked texts, local legend, and earlier accounts; the reader can observe the methods and interests of early classical scholarship. The prose is French academic prose, short in length, and suitable as supplementary material for understanding the construction of Virgil's posthumous image. Read it alongside Virgil's works and historical-geographical material on Campania to grasp what the author is discussing. The e-text comes from Project Gutenberg, a public-domain reset, convenient for searching and excerpting, but it has no modern notes or introduction, so readers must supply their own background. Overall, it is specialized material for slow reading and note-taking, not an introductory guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying Virgil's reception history and the history of classical scholarship
Scholars with French reading ability interested in nineteenth-century methods of textual criticism
Readers interested in the historical geography and antiquarian legends of the Bay of Naples
Those who need public-domain texts for textual analysis or translation practice

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking a systematic biography of Virgil
Those who cannot read French and do not wish to use reference tools
Readers expecting modern archaeological conclusions and illustrations

Reading tips

Read the relevant passages of Virgil's Aeneid and the biographical tradition before turning to this study.
Prepare a map of Mount Posillipo and the Bay of Naples and follow the place names in the text.
Use French reference tools for long sentences and note the author's cited sources as you go.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a biography of Virgil?

No. It is a specialized study of the question of Virgil's tomb, discussing the textual evidence and controversy around the claim that the tomb was on Mount Posillipo, not a systematic account of his life. Readers who want a biography should look for classical biographies and studies.

Can I read this without knowing French?

The original is French academic prose with no bilingual edition. Reading it with no French at all would be very difficult; use translation tools or read relevant English or Chinese research surveys first, then decide whether to read the original closely.

Does the e-text have notes and an introduction?

This is a public-domain e-text released by Project Gutenberg, typically preserving the original body text without a modern editor's introduction or detailed notes. Readers must supply their own background in Virgil studies and the region's history and geography.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Peignot, Gabriel, 1767-1849 Author

Gabriel Peignot (1767-1849) was a French scholar of history and letters, known for his work in textual criticism and the study of classical antiquities. The library holds one of his works, Quelques recherches sur le tombeau de Virgile au mont Pausilipe, an inquiry into the traditions and physical remains associated with Virgil's tomb on Mount Posillipo. The book is characteristic of early nineteenth-century European antiquarianism: the author sets literary testimony, local tradition, and direct observation side by side, carefully weighing the authenticity of the site and giving priority to evidence over rhetoric. It addressed scholars and travellers interested in classical literature and the antiquities of southern Italy, and it is still cited in later studies of Virgil's memorial sites. Beyond this work, published information about his life and academic career is limited, and this entry therefore describes only the scope and method of the one book by him held here.