Which scholar claims the poet aimed to rival and perhaps surpass Homer, aiming to conquer Latin poetry?

• A. Thomas - Book 8
• B. Richard Rutherford - Homeric influence
• C. Cox - Homeric influence
• D. RD Williams - Greek heroism vs Roman heroism

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that Virgil’s Aeneid is written with a deliberate engagement with Homer, as a project to rival and even surpass him, so that Latin epic could stand on equal footing with Greek epic and, in a sense, conquer Latin poetry. Cox argues that Virgil doesn’t imitate Homer passively; he enters into a literary conversation with Homeric epic, adopting and adapting its formal features—invocation to the Muse, in medias res, epic catalogues, extended similes, and the grand scale of epic—while recasting them to serve Roman goals, values, and the destiny of Rome. This shows a conscious bid to measure Latin poetry against the Greek model and to prove that Latin epic can surpass it in achievement and significance. The other scholars listed treat Homeric influence or related topics in different ways—some discuss the general Homeric influence, others focus on Book 8 or on Greek versus Roman heroism—without making the claim that Virgil’s aim was specifically to rival and conquer Homer and thus Latin poetry.