Reading Metamorphosis in Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Abstract

The influence of the Metamorphoses on Western culture is of such magnitude that the preceding tradition is at risk of vanishing from sight. Nonetheless, Ovid’s poem obviously stems from the Greek tradition. On many points, Ovid’s sources have been mapped and precursors pointed out. This chapter’s exposé turns the perspective in a most illuminating way: instead of looking for similarities, it uses the conclusions of previous research to define more closely what actually makes Ovid different from his precursors. In this way, the chapter is able to define a number of instances where Ovid on the one hand utilizes tradition, but on the other hand also transforms it and approaches metamorphosis in new ways. The instances the chapter maps span a wide register: state of origin and destination of the transformation, kinds, causes, and reversibility of metamorphosis, aetiological and genealogical functions, issues of continuity and communication, et cetera. Applying this perspective, the chapter paves the way for a number of new, future studies.