GW1 - Ovid: "Metamorphoses" Book I: Creation

Ovid recenters Epic poetry and questions the stability of forms of all kinds.
See also: Ovid: "Metamorphoses" Book X: Orpheus Sings
• GW1 - Ovid: "Metamorph...

[@CosmicRabbitCarma]

I recommend The Poetry Channel (CZcams) for audio recitation of Ovid's Metamorphosis.
The description of Creation reminds my of Genesis in the Bible.

[@jazzaguayo9842]

I really love listening to your explanations. I read Metamorphisis in High School for my Latin language class, and I find that most translations fall short of the real meaning behind the piece. Many even ignore the gods names! Even though I've lost a good deal of my memory of Latin translations, I can follow along and recognize if the English version is accurate or loosely written.

[@douglasparker6276]

Thanks for this. Ovid is terrific and meeting him in the original Latin is a gift. You’re very lucky.

[@heritageforest6713]

What translation do you use? Great videos!

[@douglasparker6276]

Primarily the Charles Martin version from the Norton Critical Edition. I sometimes also reference the Horace Gregory translation first published in 1960 by Mentor Books. Both are terrific.

[@danielaferrari9289]

Great video :)

[@douglasparker6276]

Thank you. It's all in the literature itself.

[@nuhaomar9542]

I don’t really see how Ovid’s metamorphosis *isn’t* centered on the gods. The first part is called “creation”. That means he acknowledges a “creator”. And there’s stories of gods in it. So I don’t understand.

[@douglasparker6276]

When you look through a window, do you see the glass or the objects beyond? When you think of the word 'glass,' do you think of the silica-based substance or the beverage container? Is 'Frozen' just a legend about a Disney-princess who shoots freeze-rays out of her hands or a parable of female friendship prioritized over romantic love? Interpretation is often complex, often more about subtext than the text itself. In Ovid, the stories and characters are all ridiculous. We can read them enjoyably for their cartoonish qualities, or we can see them as representative and find infinite meanings ranging from cartoonish to profound. How we read is a choice. Choose as you like.