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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ovid's "Metamorphoses" is one of the those classics that I probably would have never bothered to read if not for my pursuit of the 1,001 list. I'm glad I finally picked it up to read it though, even if most of the stories were somewhat familiar from other reading.
I really enjoy mythology and found A.D. Melville's translation fairly easy to follow. Ovid flits through Greek and Roman mythology to highlight stories that feature a transformation of some kind... (lots of trees and birds result from these transformations.) He skips some of the major plot points of some myths just to get to the transformation stuff, which I found odd (and it knocked off a star for me.)
This is definitely a must-read for those who enjoy mythology... (but if you're one of those people, you've probably already read it anyway!)
I really enjoy mythology and found A.D. Melville's translation fairly easy to follow. Ovid flits through Greek and Roman mythology to highlight stories that feature a transformation of some kind... (lots of trees and birds result from these transformations.) He skips some of the major plot points of some myths just to get to the transformation stuff, which I found odd (and it knocked off a star for me.)
This is definitely a must-read for those who enjoy mythology... (but if you're one of those people, you've probably already read it anyway!)
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ah, Ovid. It took me almost three months to get through this book, but that was mostly because of the school work I had to do. However, it did not help that Ovid does not make it easy to pick the work back up.
I read Metamorphoses to gain more knowledge of mythology and increase my reference points on "the classics." I guess I accomplished that. There are definitely several interesting myths to find here, and a few of them are beautiful. There are also many pedestrian myths about people I'd never heard of and don't care about. Thus, I found myself alternately enthralled and uninterested.
Here are some things I learned from Ovid:
1. All the gods have lust and self-control problems.
2. If you're a female in Greece, it's best to be ugly or plain; all the hot women suffer from the lust of the gods. If you're a lovely lady with a lustful god around, you'll either be raped or turned into something else.
3. If you're going to undergo a metamorphosis at the hands of the gods, you'll most likely be a bird or a tree. They apparently don't have lively imaginations when it comes to transformations.
4. Ovid thinks extended, bloody scenes are very funny. They are not.
5. Do not defy the gods. You will lose. Even when you win, you lose (cf. Arachne).
6. If you're going to fly Phoebus' chariot, listen to his advice and stay on the beaten track for heaven's sake!
7. Don't challenge the muses to a singing contest. I mean, come on; they're the muses.
8. The Orpheus myths are amazing.
There are other things I'm sure, but it's a long book. I'm glad I read it, but I don't plan on reading it again anytime soon.
I read Metamorphoses to gain more knowledge of mythology and increase my reference points on "the classics." I guess I accomplished that. There are definitely several interesting myths to find here, and a few of them are beautiful. There are also many pedestrian myths about people I'd never heard of and don't care about. Thus, I found myself alternately enthralled and uninterested.
Here are some things I learned from Ovid:
1. All the gods have lust and self-control problems.
2. If you're a female in Greece, it's best to be ugly or plain; all the hot women suffer from the lust of the gods. If you're a lovely lady with a lustful god around, you'll either be raped or turned into something else.
3. If you're going to undergo a metamorphosis at the hands of the gods, you'll most likely be a bird or a tree. They apparently don't have lively imaginations when it comes to transformations.
4. Ovid thinks extended, bloody scenes are very funny. They are not.
5. Do not defy the gods. You will lose. Even when you win, you lose (cf. Arachne).
6. If you're going to fly Phoebus' chariot, listen to his advice and stay on the beaten track for heaven's sake!
7. Don't challenge the muses to a singing contest. I mean, come on; they're the muses.
8. The Orpheus myths are amazing.
There are other things I'm sure, but it's a long book. I'm glad I read it, but I don't plan on reading it again anytime soon.
Fast, readable translation. I loved the nesting of the stories, but hated how Ovid cheapened the heroic epics. Dang Ovid.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Even though I didn't really enjoy the narration, I at least tried to get into each story and see how it resonated with me on a personal level. It was a new experience for me to listen to such audio content, in the sense that I hadn't been exposed to 'spiritual' audio books before, having only read and listened to Dante's 'Divine Comedy'. Overall, I enjoyed the tales and they definitely got me thinking about some things.
A gorgeous English verse translation. Amazing stories that are still captivating after all of these centuries. Apparently Pythagoras was a vegetarian. Fascicating and uplifting and beautiful book.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated