Tom
Sienkewicz, the Capron Professor of
Classics at Monmouth, and LeaAnn
Osburn, a 1972 graduate, were
assigned to produce a work in the
LEGAMUS series that allows students
to make a transition from elementary
or intermediate Latin into reading
the authentic Latin of Vergil.
“(The series’) purpose,” wrote the University of
Massachusetts’ Kenneth F. Kitchell Jr. in the book’s foreword, “is
expressly and solely to address those very things which make the
transition to reading a given author difficult … It is the hope of the
authors and editors that this series will bring more students into direct
contact with the beauty and inspiration reading these authors can
provide.”
Published by Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc.,
the 136-page paperback contains about 200 lines of selections from
Vergil’s Aeneid. Passages are accompanied by pre-reading materials,
grammatical exercises, complete vocabulary, notes designed for reading
comprehension and other reading aides.
Osburn studied under the late Bernice Fox at
Monmouth and has taught Latin at Barrington (Ill.) High School for many
years. Since Sienkewicz arrived at Monmouth in 1984, the duo has
collaborated on a number of projects.
“It is our hope as authors that the text will
enable future students of Latin to appreciate the poetry of Vergil,” said
Sienkewicz.
“Why read Vergil?” asked reviewer Alexander G.
McKay, professor emeritus of classics at McMaster University. “Because,
judging by these extracts, there are great expectations for the reader,
whether novice or lightly tuned adventurer.”
