The fantastic world of Ovid's *Metamorphoses*

Ovid's epic 15 book poem Metamorphoses catalogues some 250 classic Greek and Roman myths in ways that came to inspire the western imagination for centuries. It is said that at one point the poem rivalled the Bible itself for influence in Medieval Europe. In this course we will seek to understand Ovid's methods of working with this material, acquaint ourselves with the cultural context and above all enjoy the incredible stories told in the Metamorphoses.

Aims

This course aims to: 

• familiarise ourselves with more than 200 classic Greek and Roman myths that constitute the heart of Ovid’s Metamorphoses
   
• evaluate Ovid’s methods of working with this material and acquaint ourselves with the cultural and historical context of the poem
   
• contemplate ways of reading the poem and understanding the potential significance of myth

Content

Our first task is to understand the literary context: this is one of the longest poems to reach us from antiquity and we need to understand what led Rome’s leading love poet to write it. It is vital to understand the poem as part of a centuries-old tradition of didactic verse and to consider what precedent Ovid is drawing on. We must also consider the narrative voice of Ovid in the poem: how does the consistently urban elegist modify his poetic persona to create a suitably ‘Epic’ voice? What does a given myth ‘mean’ in his hands? Finally we must consider the reasons for the success of the poem, the only real rival to Vergil’s Aeneid.

Presentation of the course 

Each class will be presented as an informal lecture with PowerPoint slides and an accompanying handout. You are encouraged to ask questions at any time and are not required to bring anything to class.

Course sessions

1. Introduction 1: Ancient Greek and Roman Epic
    
2. Introduction 2: Ovid
    
3. The first pentad of the Metamorphoses
    
4. The second pentad
    
5. The third pentad

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to gain an understanding of the many myths that populate Ovid’s Metamorphoses
   
• to gain an understanding of Ovid’s relationship to his own material
   
• to gain an understanding of the context of the Metamorphoses

Required reading

Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Oxford World’s Classics or Penguin)

It is critical to consult more than one translation of the poem: Mandelbaum’s version is also popular.

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.