Zeitmontagen in Vergils Aeneis : Anachronismen als literarische Technik

When Virgil tells of the flight of the Trojans and their conflict-ridden arrival in Italy in his Aeneid, his own present and that of his contemporary readers is reflected in the suffering and struggles of the mythological heroes. The connection between these two time levels is not only explicitly established in prominent places, such as in the so-called hero show or the description of the shield, but is also repeatedly recalled by the action, which takes place against a modern background. While such violations of chronology have mainly been perceived as errors since antiquity, Dennis Pausch understands them in his book as time montages and as a literary technique that not only makes an important contribution to the political message, but above all to the aesthetic effect of the work.

When Virgil tells of the flight of the Trojans and their conflict-ridden arrival in Italy in his Aeneid, his own present and that of his contemporary readers is reflected in the suffering and struggles of the mythological heroes. The connection between these two time levels is not only explicitly established in prominent places, such as in the so-called hero show or the description of the shield, but is also repeatedly recalled by the action, which takes place against a modern background. While such violations of chronology have mainly been perceived as errors since antiquity, Dennis Pausch understands them in his book as time montages and as a literary technique that not only makes an important contribution to the political message, but above all to the aesthetic effect of the work.