Tragic theory and practice in Ovid´s Metamorphoses

This literary studies project deals with the Metamorphoses by the classical Roman poet Ovid (43 BC - c. 17 AD). In fifteen books, Ovid presents ancient myths of transformation in epic form. The project is located in the field of genre research and generic theory. It investigates the essential characteristics of certain literary genres and records their mutual influence. In particular, it will be shown how dramatic elements are integrated into the (at first glance) epic Metamorphoses, a text that not only describes transformations (within the narrated world), but itself oscillates between different genres (on the level of artistic representation). It will become clear that Ovid does not only integrate material that has already been treated in Greek theater (especially in Attic tragedy), he also gives a dramatic form to non-dramatic material. Furthermore, it can be shown that Ovid is familiar with ancient theoretical discussions of tragedy. The aim of the project is to systematically study these diff erent traces of the dramatic genre in the Metamorphoses and reconstruct Ovids poetics of drama implicitly inscribed into the text.

The FWF-funded project "Tragic theory and practice in Ovid's Metamorphoses" aims to uncover the influence of dramatic elements applied by P. Ovidius Naso (vulgo Ovid) in his masterpiece, the Metamorphoses (ca. 8 CE), which is generally regarded as an epic text. Ovid's use of drama in the composition of his epic may have augmented and enriched the generic standards for epic texts in antiquity; this project seeks to investigate and outline the extent to which Ovid has contributed to a generic enrichment of epic by way of applying dramatic elements. On the one hand, the project takes special interest in the examination of Ovid's use of classical Greek (i.e. Athenian) Tragedies from the 5th century BCE and their adaptation for as well as application to certain episodes in his Metamorphoses; on the other hand, it addresses the question, where and to what extent Ovid fashioned episodes distinctly and originally in a dramatic way by making use of plot devices usually found in and conceived of as genuine to the tragic genre. From both these approaches it shall be induced and thus demonstrated, what concepts of Tragedy (or the Tragic in general, respectively) Ovid followed in his composition of the Metamorphoses - and if thereby an implicit poetics of Tragedy for Ovid can be (re-)constructed. Ultimately, this project's main goal consists in giving a complete demonstration of Ovid's dramatic design across the entirety of his Metamorphoses, as well as investigating implicit (meta-)poetological devices, in order to establish a solid theoretical framework, which consolidates our conception of Ovid not only as an epic, but also a tragic poet. In so doing, the project aims at furthering and advancing our general understanding of generic concepts in antiquity and their constant poetological challenging and evolution, all the way down to a positive transformation of genre, particularly in a oeuvre dedicated to transformation itself.