Virgil, accused of frequent furta from Homer’s poems for the composition of the Aeneid, allegedly replied to his detractors that ‘it is easier to steal Jupiter’s thunderbolt or Hercules’ club than a line from Homer.’ If this answer points out Virgil’s awareness of his exceptional artistic skills, it also acknowledges his imitation of the model. Conte finds inspiration in this witty reply attributed to Virgil to title his little book, which is presented in the Foreword as a reworked version of some earlier studies on literary theory, first published in 1974 (Memoria dei poeti e sistema letterario: Catullo, Virgilio, Ovidio, Lucano). In this two-chapter volume, Conte returns to his old field of interests not just to amend some of his previous theories, but also to enrich them with fresh ideas. The work presents a well-balanced structure and a clearly defined goal, which would nonetheless benefit from a better clarity of expression.