Synthesizing a wealth of detailed observations, Joseph Solodow studies the structure of Ovids poem Metamorphoses, the role of the narrator, Ovids treatment of myth, and the relationship between Ovids and Virgils presentations of Aeneas. He argues that for Ovid metamorphosis is an act of clarification, a form of artistic creation, and that the metamorphosed creatures in his poem are comparable to works of art. These figures ultimately aid us in perceiving and understanding the world.
