Wow, Vanzetti. I wish I'd had you as a teacher when we did the classics, that's for sure! I think 'rant' isn't the right word for such an interesting and passionate defense of the work. You actually make me *want* to go back to the Aeneid and approach it from this angle - well done!

I definitely think you're right about reading this (and other classical texts as well) too young. And you have a very good point re. translations. Often (within my linguistic sphere anyway), the Greek and Latin classics are translated by highly acclaimed writers who do not know these languages themselves, but base their translations on verbatim translations of the Latin/Greek text and various well-reputed translations in the more generally accessible languages like French, German, Spanish and English. It's a very roundabout way of getting to the heart and beauty of a piece of fiction.