Aspects of Ecphrastic Technique in Ovid's Metamorphoses

by Elizabeth Norton

By first examining the origins of ecphrasis as a rhetorical trope, as well as its association with simile, the author provides an historical context on which to base a discussion of Ovid's own use of the device. Consideration is given to recent theoretical approaches to the subject, as well as to a selection of ancient texts that may have influenced Ovid's work. After this, a more in-depth examination of relevant passages within the Metamorphoses is undertaken. The author concludes by considering the benefits of an intertextual approach to the material, as well as looking at the extent to which Ovid's determination to both allude to and outdo his predecessors, influenced the style and substance of his work. In looking at the links between the literary and plastic arts, the reader is invited to consider the possibility that Ovid's pre-occupation with artists and artistic endeavours makes the Metamorphoses itself both an extended ecphrasis and a commentary on Ovid's obsession with his own artistry.

245 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Elizabeth Norton is a British historian specialising in the queens of England and the Tudor period. She obtained an Master of Arts in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in 2003 and a masters degree in European Archaeology from the University of Oxford in 2004.

Elizabeth Norton is the author of five non-fiction works: She Wolves, The Notorious Queens of England (The History Press, 2008), Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's Obsession (Amberley, 2008), Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's True Love (Amberley, 2009), Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's Discarded Bride (Amberley, 2009) and Catherine Parr (Amberley, 2010).[2]' She is also the author of two articles: Anne of Cleves and Richmond Palace (Surrey History, 2009) [3] and Scandinavian Influences in the Late Anglo-Saxon Sculpture of Sussex (Sussex Archaeological Collections, 2009)