Eroidi

For mythology buffs, these poems are pure joy. The Heroides are a collection of 21 poems written from the perspective of heroines and heroes of epic and myth (the original "fan fiction?") . Written in the first person, each poem is addressed to the writer’s lover. The literary device most commonly de Leggi tutto

I'd never thought about reading more by Ovid, and then I came across The Heroides while showing someone else the wonders of my city's central library. (Before I knew it, I had a stack of nine books in my arms, despite the fact I'm about to go visit my parents via train, meaning I can't carry that ma Leggi tutto

A horrible fan fic.

31. Heroides by Ovid, translated by Harold Isbell original date : circa 16 bce translated 1990 format : Paperback acquired : Half-Price Books in October 2016 read : July 8-22 rating : 4 There are, apparently, many different Ovids, or he was a writer who worked in multiple distinctly independent styles. I would Leggi tutto

Someone on GR called Ovid's Heroides a “horrible fan fic” and I partly agree. I wouldn't call it horrible, but I'm also not crazy about it. Sure Ovid gives these women a voice, but at the end of the day it's still an Ancient Roman Dude's version of these female voices. It's not fundamentally wrong, Leggi tutto

Pro's : Very accessible, very personalized portraits, genuine emotion and insightful that is missing in most mythology. Even better is the Woman's vantage point in all the letters Con's : Repetitive after a certain point. A lot of time is spent explaining the myths that the letters touch, which is bo Leggi tutto

In the 21 poems of the Heroides, Ovid inserts himself into classical myth and epic by interjecting letters written by the heroines of larger stories. So, for example, he has Penelope write to Odysseus while he is lost on his way back to Ithaka from Troy; Dido to Aeneas after he has left Carthage for Leggi tutto

immenso

The pain that love brings upon separation from a loved one is certainly a theme that resonates with every human being (besides the Stoics who proclaim that true friends and lovers are never separate if they have minds to meet within). Ovid is, here as always, the most penetrating observer of human p Leggi tutto

Once I found out Ovid wrote an epistolary book from the perspective of such important figures as : Helen, Paris, Leander, Madea, I just had to read it. So we finally know how to woe, to faint modesty, voice despair, threaten as only the ancients could (with a heavy dose of passion and misogyny). Thi Leggi tutto