Playing Gods

Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Ancient & Classical, Poetry History & Criticism
Cover of the book Playing Gods by Andrew Feldherr, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrew Feldherr ISBN: 9781400836543
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: August 16, 2010
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Andrew Feldherr
ISBN: 9781400836543
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: August 16, 2010
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

This book offers a novel interpretation of politics and identity in Ovid's epic poem of transformations, the Metamorphoses. Reexamining the emphatically fictional character of the poem, Playing Gods argues that Ovid uses the problem of fiction in the text to redefine the power of poetry in Augustan Rome. The book also provides the fullest account yet of how the poem relates to the range of cultural phenomena that defined and projected Augustan authority, including spectacle, theater, and the visual arts.

Andrew Feldherr argues that a key to the political as well as literary power of the Metamorphoses is the way it manipulates its readers' awareness that its stories cannot possibly be true. By continually juxtaposing the imaginary and the real, Ovid shows how a poem made up of fictions can and cannot acquire the authority and presence of other discursive forms. One important way that the poem does this is through narratives that create a "double vision" by casting characters as both mythical figures and enduring presences in the physical landscapes of its readers. This narrative device creates the kind of tensions between identification and distance that Augustan Romans would have felt when experiencing imperial spectacle and other contemporary cultural forms.

Full of original interpretations, Playing Gods constructs a model for political readings of fiction that will be useful not only to classicists but to literary theorists and cultural historians in other fields.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book offers a novel interpretation of politics and identity in Ovid's epic poem of transformations, the Metamorphoses. Reexamining the emphatically fictional character of the poem, Playing Gods argues that Ovid uses the problem of fiction in the text to redefine the power of poetry in Augustan Rome. The book also provides the fullest account yet of how the poem relates to the range of cultural phenomena that defined and projected Augustan authority, including spectacle, theater, and the visual arts.

Andrew Feldherr argues that a key to the political as well as literary power of the Metamorphoses is the way it manipulates its readers' awareness that its stories cannot possibly be true. By continually juxtaposing the imaginary and the real, Ovid shows how a poem made up of fictions can and cannot acquire the authority and presence of other discursive forms. One important way that the poem does this is through narratives that create a "double vision" by casting characters as both mythical figures and enduring presences in the physical landscapes of its readers. This narrative device creates the kind of tensions between identification and distance that Augustan Romans would have felt when experiencing imperial spectacle and other contemporary cultural forms.

Full of original interpretations, Playing Gods constructs a model for political readings of fiction that will be useful not only to classicists but to literary theorists and cultural historians in other fields.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Hoods by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Ethnography and Virtual Worlds by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book A Larger Sense of Purpose by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book The Priority of Democracy by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Legitimacy and Power Politics by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Straightforward by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book The Modern Spirit of Asia by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Jewish Ireland in the Age of Joyce by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Kazantzakis, Volume 2 by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Global Environment by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Mathematical Tools for Understanding Infectious Disease Dynamics by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book History of Modern Psychology by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book Powerplay by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book The Seven Deadly Sins of Psychology by Andrew Feldherr
Cover of the book The Loneliness of the Black Republican by Andrew Feldherr
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy