Metamorphoses (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Ovid (Author), David Raeburn (Translator), Denis Feeney (Introduction)

Book Description

Release date: August 3, 2004 | Series: Penguin Classics

Ovid’s sensuous and witty poem brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales, ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation—often as a result of love or lust—where men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best-known myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome, including Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy. Erudite but light-hearted, dramatic and yet playful, the Metamorphoses has influenced writers and artists throughout the centuries from Shakespeare and Titian to Picasso and Ted Hughes.

• Includes introduction, a preface to each book, explanatory notes, and an index of people, gods, and places

Editorial Reviews

Review

A good translation in clear, dignified, poetic English -- Prof Elaine Fantham, Princeton I think this version is terrific. The light enjambed English hexameters are a great success. The effect is properly propulsive -- Prof A D Nuttall, Oxford

About the Author

Ovid—Publius Ovidius Naso—(43 bce–ce 17 or 18) was born into a wealthy Roman family and became the most distinguished poet of his time. He died in exile on the Black Sea, far from Rome and his literary life.

David Raeburn is a lecturer in classics at Oxford University. He has translated Sophocles and directed numerous school and university productions of Greek tragedies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014044789X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140447897
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.3 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Fairy Tales
  • #52 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 105 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition and translation January 9, 2006

By Sara

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

After reading the old Penguin edition of this work, I was amazed at the improvement in not only the translation, but the organization and supplemental material as well. The old edition I read was written in prose (yuck), the translation was was dry and boring, the text was not broken up into sections, and there were no notes to speak of. This edition, however, has really come a long way. The text has been translated into a more modern voice, making it much more user friendly and fun to read. And it's written in verse form (as is should be). The organization is top-notch: not only is it divided into "books", but is further divided into the individual stories with appropriate headings (like "Mars and Venus" and "Pyramus and Thisbe"), so it's easy to find your favorite myth and know where you are in the epic. There's also an excellent introduction to the entire work as well as introductions to each individual book, providing insights and background information. The notes in the back of the book are very comprehensive and helpful, adding greatly to your understanding of the work. On top of all that, there's a glossary of the characters in the back which not only tells you who they are, but where they are featured in the epic. And finally, as if there wasn't enough already, there's even a map in the back of Rome during Ovid's time. Needless to say, this edition is chock full of stuff to please both casual readers of the work and scholars looking to get a little more in-depth. I believe this is one of the most important and influential works of Western civilization, and everyone should have a copy. It's especially great for those who love Greek and Roman myths, since it's packed full of just about every classical myth ever conceived.... And since it's broken down so nicely into individual stories and books, you can read a story here and there instead of the whole thing at once, if you choose. Though since all the stories are connected and flow seamlessly into one another, reading it through from beginning to end is very rewarding and highly recommended. Read more ›

96 of 113 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Hobbled by bad book design May 14, 2007

By L. N. Hammer

Format:Paperback

It's not like designers at Penguin Classics are lacking

the knowledge

Of how to handle hexameters. Why then their failure

to use it

In Raeburn's recent translation of Metamorphoses?

On an average page, there's barely three verses that's

typeset within

A single line, with all others continued with vast

indent--

And most roving over a single word. The pages are

ugly,

Everything awkward to read. The font size is generous,

though,

So why not reduce it a point and gather more verses

together?

Nor does it help that the poem is written in thumping

sub-Longfellow,

With all of the beats but now with just one third the

sonority--

Dietetically versed. Avoid this volume. Feh, and more

feh.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Hexametrical horror November 7, 2010

By RICHARD DIVER

Format:Paperback

The inexplicably large number of positive reviews of this dire translation suggests that most readers are confusing it with the incomparably better blank verse version by Melville published in the Oxford World Classics edition. In the Penguin edition, Raeburn subordinates everything to the struggle to write hexameters in English. Why? The result is alien, ugly and unfaithful. Take the first line, where Melville conserves Ovid's first joke, namely starting an epic with a preposition, and incorporates the crucial Lucretian reference to bodies, in a line of elegant English verse. Raeburn fails on all counts. Read no further!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid translation, but wasteful and annoying design February 21, 2011

By Christopher R. Travers

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I very much enjoyed the translation. It is clear, lively, and poetic both in form and sense.

This work is important as a treasure trove of mythological material and transformation of the self. It is deeply mystical and also important to the study of classical mythology. There is so much in the book that it is hard to summarize what I like about it in a review. It is an important work well translated. If that was all, I'd give it 5 stars.

However, the book design is another matter. The book wastes a LOT of whitespace and adds unnecessary line breaks which are jarring to the reading of the poetry. I have to wonder whether this was motivated by price (larger book, higher cost) or whether it was just simply due to lack of review of alternatives. For example, a slightly wider page, a slightly smaller font, or even a narrower margin could have avoided this problem. One gets the distinct impression that nobody was really reviewing the design. It's a shame really. The book could have used a lot less paper and been easier to read. For this I have deducted a star. It's still a book I'd recommend, but no longer as highly as I would have.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Notes on the Kindle edition December 7, 2011

By Toph

Format:Kindle Edition

As with most kindle editions of poetry, the line breaks are irregular and distracting. For a free book, this is forgivable. At $5+, this problem should be fixed: it ruins an otherwise fine edition.

This edition lacks a table of contents in the "go to" menu, but the hyperlinked table of contents at the beginning of the book works quite well. The myths in each book are clearly listed, so you can, for example, easily find the story of Pyramus and Thisbe in Book 4 and jump right to it.

The annotations work well. Hyperlinks bring you to the notes and glossary at the back of the book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE MORE THINGS CHANGE.... January 23, 2008

By Dick Johnson TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

First, this is obviously not a book for everyone - although anyone can read it - you have to really want to read it for it to be enjoyable. Take the time to read it slowly. If you try to skim it you will miss far too much.

The glossary and notes were very useful & I didn't find the type to be a problem.