Ovid and Hesiod: The Metamorphosis of the Catalogue of Women
Cambridge University Press, 4/11/2013
EAN 9781107007413, ISBN10: 1107007410
Hardcover, 260 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm
Language: English
The influence on Ovid of Hesiod, the most important archaic Greek poet after Homer, has been underestimated. Yet, as this book shows, a profound engagement with Hesiod's themes is central to Ovid's poetic world. As a poet who praised women instead of men and opted for stylistic delicacy instead of epic grandeur, Hesiod is always contrasted with Homer. Ovid revives this epic rivalry by setting the Hesiodic character of his Metamorphoses against the Homeric character of Virgil's Aeneid. Dr Ziogas explores not only Ovid's intertextual engagement with Hesiod's works but also his dialogue with the rich scholarly, philosophical and literary tradition of Hesiodic reception. An important contribution to the study of Ovid and the wider poetry of the Augustan age, the book also forms an excellent case study in how the reception of previous traditions can become the driving force of poetic creation.
Introduction
Ovid as a Hesiodic poet
1. Helen
the intertext of illusion
2. Cosmos and Eros
from chaos to divine loves
3. Coronis and Mestra
bringing the women back to the Catalogue of Women
4. Atalanta
literal and literary races
5. Caenis and Periclymenus
Hesiod at Achilles' party
Concluding remarks.