Ovid: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Ovid, wittiest of ancient poets, has been an influential model for writers and artists throughout the ages. Llewelyn Morgan introduces the poet and his works, describing each of his poems in turn, setting them in their social and literary context, and considering the twist of events that led to the exile of Rome's most celebrated artist.

• Explores the core themes running throughout Ovid's poetic works
• Sets the poet and his writing in the wider literary and social context
• Discusses Ovid's own turbulent personal life, including his fall from grace and subsequent exile
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Llewelyn Morgan, Professor of Classical Literature, University of Oxford

Llewelyn Morgan is a scholar of Roman literature at Brasenose College, Oxford. He has written numerous articles on various aspects of Roman poetry, primarily focusing on the works of Virgil, Horace and Ovid. His books focus on Virgil's Georgics and on poetic metre. Morgan has been teaching at the University of Oxford for twenty years.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
1:Introduction: P. Ovidius Naso
2:Love Poetry
3:Letters of the Heroines
4:Metamorphoses
5:Fasti
6:Exile Poetry
Further reading
Index

Reviews

"It is hard to imagine a VSI volume on Ovid that could be better executed in terms of the balance it achieves between its breadth of vision, on the one hand, and its eye for particularity, on the other." - Gareth Williams, Columbia University , Romantic Review

"It has to be said immediately that the publishers have found a first-class writer-academic for the job of describing Ovid's character and range, and explaining the appeal of 'this scintillating Roman poet'." - Giles Dawson, Freelance Classics teacher, Oxfordshire, The Journal of Classics Teaching

"Ovid has found a kindred spirit in Llewellyn Morgan, who has succeeded in telling the story of the most brilliantly playful of Roman poets in 111 pages, touching all the bases and producing a pleasantly readable libellus." - Katharina Volk, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Short but eye opening book." - Tom Holland, New Statesman

"A crisp, sparkling distillation of long thought." - Michael Wood, Comfort Classics

"This one is a really loving account of Ovid, with a very simple structure. It takes you through his major works, with the Metamorphoses obviously at the centre. [...] It's a wonderful little book. I can't think of a better introduction to the work of this figure who is, arguably, the single most influential poet of antiquity." - Paul Lay, FiveBooks