The structure of Vergil's Eclogues

Abstract

The structure of Vergil’s Eclogues has been much discussed and various models have been proposed to describe the different ways in which the poems are linked to each other. Two general types of models have been proposed. That of the concentric or recessive panel is well known, but somewhat deficient in that it ignores the inner dynamism of the collection. Models that take these dynamic aspects into account do so at the cost of some of the advantages of considering the concentric panel. This article proposes a new model to describe the structure of Vergil’s Eclogues, based on a synthesis of existing models and relevant criticism, one that not only describes the simple thematic correspondences between individual poems, or plots the development of themes through the collection, but also attempts to express the different levels of closeness of correspondence between individual poems and groups of poems in the collection.