Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Environmental Imagination

This book explores how Ovid's "Metamorphoses" portrays the relationship between humans and other life forms, modeling the "premodern ecological mindset" that contemporary environmental thought seeks to approximate. It highlights critical moments in the poem's ecological reception, including reflections by a contemporary poet and studies of Medieval and Renaissance responses.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 24 August 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book presents Ovid's Metamorphoses as a fundamental text in the Western history of environmental thought. The poem explores the emergence of new bodies, such as stones, springs, plants, and animals, from human origins, resulting in a world of hybrid objects that retain varying degrees of human subjectivity while taking on new physical forms. By challenging the boundaries of established categories of being, these hybrid entities expose the porousness of human and other agencies and the potential dangers associated with their fusion. Metamorphosis disrupts the traditional classification of humans within the intricate ecosystems that constitute our known world.

Drawing on a diverse range of modern environmental theorists and approaches, the contributors to this volume examine how Metamorphoses models the relationship between humans and other life forms in ways that align with the concerns of contemporary eco-criticism. They argue that Ovid's poem represents an exemplar of the 'premodern ecological mindset' that contemporary environmental thought aims to approximate. Furthermore, they highlight critical moments in the history of the poem's ecological reception, including reflections by a contemporary poet and studies of Medieval and Renaissance responses to Ovid.

Through their analysis, the contributors demonstrate how Metamorphoses continues to inspire and inform environmental thinking, offering valuable insights into the complex interplay between humans, nature, and the broader ecological context. This book serves as a valuable resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in exploring the rich ecological and philosophical dimensions of Ovid's masterpiece.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350268944