Literary Metamorphoses: Humans, Non-human Animals, and Plants

We will start with our earliest text from Ovid's Metamorphoses published during the Early Roman Empire. We will read the myths of Daphne and Medusa. The overall themes this week are centered around gender dynamics and different ways in which female characters resist male aggression. In the case of Daphne, we see what I often describe as a more "passive resistance," we read Medusa in contrast to this as she is turned into a gorgon and treated very much like a monster. Why are these two female characters treated differently? How are their stories told differently by Ovid and to what effect? We will thus get a glimpse into the world of anitquity, of gluttonous gods who lust after women, women who are in turn punished for transgressions they did not commit. I will also bring some other more contemporary translations. As with Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey, other women translators have approached Ovid's Metamorphoses to render the gendered violence more explicit, naming it directly and without artifice. I would also be happy to discuss the role of female translators in the field of Classics. I have read and studied Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey and also saw her speak and met her so there is perhaps some interesting discussion to be had on that. We can discuss these many big topics together, decide which translations we think work best, or which each translation achieves in its own right.

Since this first session will delve into themes of sexual violence, I ask that we all approach both the readings and discussions with mindfulness. I realize the topic may triggering for some, but want to assure the class that we will handle it with grace and tact, while also being able to have open and honest discussions. It may be uncomfortable, but the imagery is rich, there is beauty in the texts and verses, it is a matter of sitting with the text in its entirety to begin to discuss as a group what it all may mean.