The World of Ovid's Metamorphoses

Synthesizing a wealth of detailed observations Joseph Solodow studies the structure of Ovid’s poem <i>Metamorphoses</i> the role of the narrator Ovid’s treatment of myth and the relationship between Ovid’s and Virgil’s presentations of Aeneas. He argues that for Ovid metamorphosis is an act of clarification a form of artistic creation and that the metamorphosed creatures in his poem are comparable to works of art. These figures ultimately aid us in perceiving and understanding the world.