Ovid's Metamorphoses: An Introduction to the Basic Aspects.

First Edition USA; unstated. Near Fine in Near Fine DJ: Both book and DJ show only minute indications of use. The Book shows mild shelving wear along the bottom edge of the boards and a touch of crimping to the head and heel of the backstrip; there are a couple of tiny, very faint smudges at the fore-edge; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. The DJ shows some faint foxing to the inside front flaps; unclipped; mylar-protected. Overall, very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 285pp. Hardback with DJ. The Metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem by the Roman poet Ovid, considered his magnum opus. Comprising fifteen books and over 250 myths, the poem chronicles the history of the world from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar within a loose mythico-historical framework.Although meeting the criteria for an epic, the poem defies simple genre classification by its use of varying themes and tones. Ovid took inspiration from the genre of metamorphosis poetry, and some of the Metamorphoses derives from earlier treatment of the same myths; however, he diverged significantly from all of his models. One of the most influential works in Western culture, the Metamorphoses has inspired such authors as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante and Boccaccio. Numerous episodes from the poem have been depicted in masterpieces of sculpture and painting by artists such as Titian. Although interest in Ovid faded after the Renaissance, towards the end of the twentieth century there was a resurgence of attention to his work; today, the Metamorphoses continues to inspire and be retold through various media. The work has been the subject of numerous translations into English, the first by William Caxton in 1480.…