Ovid

The last 25 years have seen a dramatic revival in the popularity of Ovid, making him one of the most popular and widely studied ancient authors. This book provides a concise and accessible introduction to the complete works of the Latin poet, famous for his risqué love poetry, riveting mythological epic Metamorphoses, and mysterious exile at the orders of the emperor Augustus. Using a thematic approach, Volk lays out what we know about Ovid′s life, presents the author′s works within their poetic genres, and discusses central Ovidian themes, including art, women, myth, and Augustan Rome. Volk concludes with a study of Ovid′s reception over the past 2,000 years.  This text reflects the very latest insights of Ovidian scholarship, and will be an indispensable companion to those approaching Ovid for the first time, as well as to more seasoned readers and critics.

Preface. List of Abbreviations. List of Figures. Introduction. 1. Work. 2. Life. 3. Elegy. 4. Myth. 5. Art. 6. Women. 7. Rome. 8. Reception. Further Reading. Notes. Index.

Katharina Volk is Associate Professor of Classics at Columbia University. She is the author of The Poetics of Latin Didactic: Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, Manilius (2002) and Manilius and his Intellectual Background (2009) and the editor of Seeing Seneca Whole: Perspectives on Philosophy, Poetry and Politics (with Gareth D. Williams, 2006), Oxford Readings in Classical Studies: Vergil′s Eclogues (2008), and Oxford Readings in Classical Studies: Vergil′s Georgics (2008).

“The past few years have seen several new translations of [Ovid’s] work appear and a few acute scholarly studies, too. Among the more accessible of the latter category is Katharina Volk’s introduction to Ovid…Volk, a professor of classics at Columbia and the new editor of The Transactions of the American Philological Association,is about as high a star in the American academic firmament as one might find. Her tone is devoid of the jargon and pretense by which many an Ovidian monograph is marred. After concise initial chapters on the poet’s work and life, we find sensible discussions on elegy, women, and Rome, as well as a selective survey of Ovid’s subsequent reception in Western art and literature.”  ( Sewanee Review , 2012) " ...the book is truly first–class. It will, I believe, become invaluable for any course in which Ovid is a central component..." (BMCR, 6 February 2012) "Katharina Volk′s Ovid is a wonderfully deft and spirited introduction to the whole of the poet′s oeuvre, covering a remarkable amount of ground in just under 150 pages ." (Times Literary Supplement, 16 September 2011) "That quibble aside, this is an admirable book, suitable as both an up–to–date introduction for tyros and as a refreshing overview of matters Ovidian for advanced scholars." (Acta Classica,1 December 2011)