The Conversatio
Reading for Fall 2013:
Ovid's Metamorphoses
(trans. Raeburn) ISBN: 978-0140447897Our first discussion will be on the Metamorphoses and The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch. Although most are not reading this second book, I will be bringing it into the discussion of "Echo & Narcissus," found in Book III. Contact me for your invitation to the live, online discussion with video and mics. There is a "Calendar of Events" at the bottom of this page.
We will be discussing the first five books(chapters) on October 21st. If you would like to begin discussing books with us, contact Beth through the email link at the bottom of this page.
1- the informative introduction,
2- the extensive notes,
and...
3- the index of all of the hundreds of mythological names.
The index is such a great resource to have on your shelf. Each of the names has a reference to where you can find their story. Whenever in the future you come across the mention of a character, such as Callisto, you can look up the myth and read Ovid's version.
Why Ovid is so important:
In The Classical Tradition Gilbert Highet devoted several pages to explaining Ovid's influence on the Middle Ages. Another few pages are found in the section for Shakespeare, where this comment is made: "Shakespeare's favorite classical author was Ovid... He often imitated him, from his first work to his last."
Here are a few of the passages in Metamorphoses which are used by Shakespeare:
The famous story of Pyramus and Thisbe, which is parodied in The Midsummers' Night Dream, comes near the beginning of Book IV. The Intro to the Penguin edition says that much of the philosophy and language of Shakespeare's sonnets "is reminiscent of the words which Ovid put into the mouth of Pythagoras." (Bk XV)
"Ovid was one of Milton's favorite authors and many passages in their Paradise Lost show his influence. Chaucer and Boccaccio, Tasso and Shakespeare, all draw from Ovid. Even Martin Luther, found places for Ovid's ethical utterances and showed great familiarity with his works. Ovid may not be ranked on a par with Vergil and Horace and Catullus, but few Roman poets created more widespread ripples in the literary pool." ~Classics in Translation: Latin Literature edited by Paul MacKendrick
Which translation to read?
I have found the David Raeburn translation (Penguin edition) to be the best all round choice. Here are some of the great benefits of this Penguin edition:1- the informative introduction,
2- the extensive notes,
and...
3- the index of all of the hundreds of mythological names.
The index is such a great resource to have on your shelf. Each of the names has a reference to where you can find their story. Whenever in the future you come across the mention of a character, such as Callisto, you can look up the myth and read Ovid's version.
In The Classical Tradition Gilbert Highet devoted several pages to explaining Ovid's influence on the Middle Ages. Another few pages are found in the section for Shakespeare, where this comment is made: "Shakespeare's favorite classical author was Ovid... He often imitated him, from his first work to his last."
Here are a few of the passages in Metamorphoses which are used by Shakespeare:
The famous story of Pyramus and Thisbe, which is parodied in The Midsummers' Night Dream, comes near the beginning of Book IV. The Intro to the Penguin edition says that much of the philosophy and language of Shakespeare's sonnets "is reminiscent of the words which Ovid put into the mouth of Pythagoras." (Bk XV)
"Ovid was one of Milton's favorite authors and many passages in their Paradise Lost show his influence. Chaucer and Boccaccio, Tasso and Shakespeare, all draw from Ovid. Even Martin Luther, found places for Ovid's ethical utterances and showed great familiarity with his works. Ovid may not be ranked on a par with Vergil and Horace and Catullus, but few Roman poets created more widespread ripples in the literary pool." ~Classics in Translation: Latin Literature edited by Paul MacKendrick