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Metamorphoses
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Metamorphoses by Ovid
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I listened to an Audible version, translated by Frank Justus Miller and narrated by Barry Kraft. Frank Justus Miller was a professor at the University of Chicago and his translation dates from 1916. I researched this because I thought that the language was fresh and clear and modern. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the way one story segued into another, often quite ingeniously - there are 250 stories in all! But the vividness of the depiction of all the cruelty became too much at times. There are fifty rapes altogether! After Philomela's tongue tried to move towards her body I just had to take a break. Rape is an expression of power and the victims invariably are silenced by being metamorphosised into inanimate objects like trees or lakes or into birds. In fact, thinking back, I am not sure whether Ovid describes any sexual encounters that are not rape. He was certainly intending to shock. My favourite part was when Numa became King of Rome and tried to convince everyone to become vegetarians. He also spoke about impermanence and atrophy in surprisingly modern ways, at least to me. I was also intrigued with the art of grafting trees which was mentioned at least twice. Somehow I didn't connect those skills to Ancient Rome.
Mod
250 stories of metamorphoses segueing each other providing the best introduction to Greek and Roman mythology. It feels really condensed and it leaves very little space for long descriptions for each of the stories. However, thanks to numerous notes accompanying the French edition, it is possible to refer to other authors who have provided other versions or the first versions of each of these myths. Probably best not to read as a novel, but more as a piecemeal exercise, limiting yourself to a few metamorphoses at a time.
Mod
I agree with Pip; I liked the vegetarian part.
Ovid predicted that this epic poem capturing all the transformation stories of the Gods from Greek and early Roman mythology would gain him fame far into the future; "that my name shall be never forgotten". The fact that I read a poem finished in 8 AD more than 2000 years later testifies to its merits.
I went with 3 stars for this one, if it had been shorter I think I would have rated it higher, but it all becomes very samey towards the second half of the book.I enjoyed the first half, the story of creation in book one, some of the more touching stories about Apollo losing his son, the original Romeo & Juliet, the loving older couple turned into trees so they could always be together even at the end of their lives. But I also really didn't like a lot of the vengeance stories and the graphic violence is really not up my street.
It is impressive that it is still read widely today, but it was middle of the road for me.
For me this started out well as were exploring less well know Greek/Roman myths and it was fascinating to read an early version of Romeo and Juliet told by sisters exchanging stories while the work in a 1001 Nights kind of way after that it got bogged down in the more well know myths and stories.
If I had not recently read A Thousand Ships and other books that tell the same stories from a female perspective I probably would have appreciated it more as it was reading like this was like an 80s Christmas where every year you get to watch Sinbad the Sailor or Jason and the Argonauts or insert name here on a repetitive loop. Sorry Ovid.
I also enjoyed the last section which focussed more on nature and the world than on any specific myth and this provided new insights into Origin stories.
Overall I totally get why this on the 1001 list of books because in its day it would have been ground breaking, new and exciting but in today's world of film, TV and retelling this suffered from being too familiar. This is not a criticism of the author it is a criticism of this reader who can't put that fact aside and pretend this is the first time she has heard these stories.