Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I CANNOT PHYSICALLY BELIEVE I FINISHED THIS.
The five stars are for ME!
The five stars are for ME!
dark
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Took me about 6 months, a few pages a day, and I'm not sure I absorbed even half of it. A treasure trove that would yield riches on each exploration, I'm sure.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The translator uses too much inversion, Old English (Ovid was Roman+Greek), rhyme (which Ovid mocked), and meter that isn't Ovid's.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
It was good!! I just only read the passages I had to for school, and I don’t have time for the rest lol
why is there so much incest going on
(love for icarus and medea)
book 3 for my explorations in literature class
(love for icarus and medea)
book 3 for my explorations in literature class
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've decided to start doing relatively in-depth reviews for each book I read this year straight after I finish them to help me digest them better, I guess.
This was both my first book of 2023 and my first 'ancient text'. I was quite worried about this being hard to comprehend as it's very long and very old, but for the most part it was extremely accessible and fun to read. I devoured this epic poem.
Ovid really was ahead of his time with this piece, especially with the humour. The translator also did a great job of making it accessible and comprehensive to English-speakers.
The theme of change was very interesting to explore, and the theme is persistent throughout the poem. Metamorphosis was used as a tool for freedom and for punishment within the stories. To save a woman from assault, she would be turned into a bird, and to punish the assaulter, he would also be turned into a bird. This was very strange and an interesting contrast.
Some of my favourite stories include; Narcissus and Echo, Orpheus and Eurydice + Orpheus' Songs (Pygmalion, Hyacinthus, Venus and Adonis), Daedalus and Icarus, Daphne, Salmacis and Hermaphroditus and Iphis. The poem is separated into 15 books, and my favourites were the middle ones from 3-10.
There was a lot of s-xual assu-lt in this book, so beware that most of the stories do include it in one way or another. Some of the stories were extremely disturbing an gruesome, for example 'Tereus, Procne and Philomena'.
There was also a lot of queer subtext in this poem, which I loved.
In short, make this the one 'epic poem' you ever read.
This was both my first book of 2023 and my first 'ancient text'. I was quite worried about this being hard to comprehend as it's very long and very old, but for the most part it was extremely accessible and fun to read. I devoured this epic poem.
Ovid really was ahead of his time with this piece, especially with the humour. The translator also did a great job of making it accessible and comprehensive to English-speakers.
The theme of change was very interesting to explore, and the theme is persistent throughout the poem. Metamorphosis was used as a tool for freedom and for punishment within the stories. To save a woman from assault, she would be turned into a bird, and to punish the assaulter, he would also be turned into a bird. This was very strange and an interesting contrast.
Some of my favourite stories include; Narcissus and Echo, Orpheus and Eurydice + Orpheus' Songs (Pygmalion, Hyacinthus, Venus and Adonis), Daedalus and Icarus, Daphne, Salmacis and Hermaphroditus and Iphis. The poem is separated into 15 books, and my favourites were the middle ones from 3-10.
There was a lot of s-xual assu-lt in this book, so beware that most of the stories do include it in one way or another. Some of the stories were extremely disturbing an gruesome, for example 'Tereus, Procne and Philomena'.
There was also a lot of queer subtext in this poem, which I loved.
In short, make this the one 'epic poem' you ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence
Moderate: Suicide, War