The Aeneid and The Virginian: copywriting, origin myths and their consumption

Abstract

Literary art is often embraced by a people because it provides answers to life’s questions and showcases idealized heroes who function as respected role models. By analyzing the popularity of universally loved literary masterpieces, it becomes possible to gain a greater understanding of how a specific people respond in uniform fashion to symbolic communications. In order to examine this phenomenon, parallels between Virgil’s The Aeneid (which was addressed to ancient Romans just as the Empire was being established) and Owen Wister’s The Virginian (which provided a symbolic hero for the USA at exactly the time when that country was emerging as an industrialized world power) will be compared. Significantly, in many cases, almost all members of a culture react to stimuli in parallel, universal, or identical ways. This tendency is important for marketers who seek to influence a wide and diverse market in similar ways. The implications of this analysis are of value to strategic planners who want to understand how consumers respond to symbolically charged products.

Citation

Walle, A.H. (1998), "The Aeneid and The Virginian: copywriting, origin myths and their consumption", Management Decision, Vol. 36 No. 7, pp. 425-432. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251749810226977