Ovid and Hesiod The Metamorphosis of the Catalogue of Women

The influence on Ovid of Hesiod, the most important archaic Greek poet after Homer, has been underestimated. Yet, as this book shows, a profound engagement with Hesiod's themes is central to Ovid's poetic world. As a poet who praised women instead of men and opted for stylistic delicacy instead of epic grandeur, Hesiod is always contrasted with Homer. Ovid revives this epic rivalry by setting the Hesiodic character of his Metamorphoses against the Homeric character of Virgil's Aeneid. Dr Ziogas explores not only Ovid's intertextual engagement with Hesiod's works but also his dialogue with the rich scholarly, philosophical and literary tradition of Hesiodic reception. An important contribution to the study of Ovid and the wider poetry of the Augustan age, the book also forms an excellent case study in how the reception of previous traditions can become the driving force of poetic creation.

Introduction: Ovid as a Hesiodic poet; 1. Helen: the intertext of illusion; 2. Cosmos and Eros: from chaos to divine loves; 3. Coronis and Mestra: bringing the women back to the Catalogue of Women; 4. Atalanta: literal and literary races; 5. Caenis and Periclymenus: Hesiod at Achilles' party; Concluding remarks.

Ioannis Ziogas is Lecturer in Classics at the Australian National University, Canberra.