Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:

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.

Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction by Andrew Feldherr

From reader reviews:

Nicholas Hess:

The book Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction make one feel enjoy for your spare time. You can use to make your capable much more increase. Book can to be your best friend when you getting tension or having big problem with your subject. If you can make reading a book Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction being your habit, you can get much more advantages, like add your own personal capable, increase your knowledge about many or all subjects. You could know everything if you like start and read a book Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction. Kinds of book are several. It means that, science e-book or encyclopedia or other individuals. So , how do you think about this publication?

Essie Ryan:

Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction can be one of your beginner books that are good idea. We recommend that straight away because this publication has good vocabulary that could increase your knowledge in vocabulary, easy to understand, bit entertaining but nonetheless delivering the information. The author giving his/her effort to get every word into satisfaction arrangement in writing Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction however doesn't forget the main place, giving the reader the hottest as well as based confirm resource facts that maybe you can be considered one of it. This great information can easily drawn you into completely new stage of crucial thinking.

Henry Slaughter:

Is it anyone who having spare time subsequently spend it whole day through watching television programs or just laying on the bed? Do you need something new? This Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction can be the reply, oh how comes? A book you know. You are consequently out of date, spending your spare time by reading in this completely new era is common not a nerd activity. So what these books have than the others?

Anthony Perez:

What is your hobby? Have you heard which question when you got scholars? We believe that that concern was given by teacher on their students. Many kinds of hobby, Everyone has different hobby. Therefore you know that little person just like reading or as looking at become their hobby. You need to understand that reading is very important along with book as to be the point. Book is important thing to provide you knowledge, except your own teacher or lecturer. You will find good news or update about something by book. Different categories of books that can you choose to adopt be your object. One of them is actually Playing Gods: Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Politics of Fiction.