Metamorphoses Pb - Softcover

Ovid/Anderson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3815415659 ISBN 13: 9783815415658

Publisher: Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, 1998

Synopsis

The Metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem by the Roman poet Ovid, considered his magnum opus. Comprising fifteen books and over 250 myths, the poem chronicles the history of the world from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar within a loose historical framework. Although meeting the criteria for an epic, the poem defies simple genre classification by its use of varying themes and tones. Ovid took inspiration from the genre of metamorphosis poetry, and some of the Metamorphoses derives from earlier treatment of the same myths; however, he diverged significantly from all of his models. One of the most influential works in Western culture, the Metamorphoses has inspired such authors as Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Boccaccio, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William Shakespeare. Numerous episodes from the poem have been depicted in acclaimed works of sculpture, painting, and music. Although interest in Ovid faded after the Renaissance, there was a resurgence of attention to his work towards the end of the 20th century. Today the Metamorphoses continues to inspire and be retold through various media. The work has been the subject of numerous translations into English, the first by William Caxton in 1480. Some of the Metamorphoses derives from earlier literary and poetic treatment of the same myths. This material was of varying quality and comprehensiveness — while some of it was "finely worked", in other cases Ovid may have been working from limited material. In the case of an oft-used myth such as that of Io in Book I, which was the subject of literary adaptation as early as the 5th century BC, and as recently as a generation prior to his own, Ovid reorganizes and innovates existing material in order to foreground his favored topics and to embody the key themes of the Metamorphoses.

About this title

Review

'This is a volume of which both Hopkinson and Cambridge can be proud.' The Classical Review

'Metamorphoses Book XIII, one of the most 'Greek' books of the Ovidian poem, has received a commentary by a distinguished Hellenist, a commentary which turns out to be one of the best Latin examples in the Cambridge 'green-and-yellow' series ... a fresh, exciting and perceptive reading of this important book. It will be a precious tool for all Ovidian scholars.' Journal of Roman Studies

'This edition of, and commentry on, Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses ...strikes me as particularly satisfactory and commendable... There are very few things I miss here...' Arctos

Book Description

This book presents the Latin text, with an Introduction and full commentary, of Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Guidance is offered on points of language and style, and the Introduction treats in general terms the themes of metamorphosis and the structure of the poem as a whole.

Edition details

• Publisher: Vieweg+Teubner Verlag
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: Latin
• ISBN 10: 3815415659
• ISBN 13: 9783815415658
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 420