On the idea of failure in Vergilian translation

Abstract

This article examines the idea of failure (and its corollary, success) in the critical discourse surrounding translations of Vergil’s works in the English-speaking world. Focusing mainly on (early) modern English translations of the Aeneid, with a few inroads into other Vergilian translation traditions, it identifies the main criteria for failure or success and situates them in their historical context. It also discusses the relationship between such judgements of value and the evolving — or, at times, conflicting — linguistic, aesthetic, social, and political norms surrounding the translation of Vergil’s poetry. The essay is an invitation to re-examine our own criteria for failure and success, through an increased awareness of their historical and cultural underpinnings.