O'hara

55510 — Princeton University press Princeton 1990. XI207p. Original cloth with dust wrps. Spine gilt titled. 'The prophecies of the 'Aeneid' continue to be investigated by scholars . and O'Hara's well-written and scholarly book shows that there is still much to say. His central thesis is that the prophecies of the 'Aeneid' generally mislead both their hearers and their readers into false expectations; undesirable material such as forthcoming deaths is frequently and deliberately excluded; and inconsistencies in prophetic contexts have a dark rather than casual significance. . This is a book of many virtues: clear well-documented analytical and always asking pertinent questions. It will be very useful for teaching and research on the 'Aeneid.' S.J. HARRISON in The Classical Review New Series 1991 pp.327-328. hardcover