Metaformations. Soundplay and Wordplay in Ovid and Other Classical Poets.

Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langj�igem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - sehr guter Zustand / very good condition - Creek and Roman writers often assumed that words that sounded or looked alike had a common etymological origin. Marcus Varro, perhaps the most famous scholar of Roman antiquity, viewed such etymologizing as fundamental to Latin poetry, to Roman religion, and to language itself. This book looks at Latin and Greek poetry through Varronian eyes. -- Focusing on Ovid's Metamorphoses, Ahl finds that Ovid accompanied descriptions of change in physical shape with changes in the shape of words or syllables used to tell the tale. He maintains that Ovid's syllabic play was not merely ornamental to the themes of the Metamorphoses but fundamental to its structure. Although the book centers on Ovid, Ahl shows that his method of reading is applicable to other Greek and Latin authors. He frequently analyzes passages from Homer, Plato, Plautus, Seneca, Statius, Vergil, and St. Augustine to illustrate or develop his arguments. -- An innovative work of great originality, Metaformations is written in a lively and witty style calculated both to engage and to challenge the reader. It will appeal not qnly to scholars and students of Ovid and of classical literature in general but also to anyone interested in the uses of wordplay in poetry. ISBN 9780801417627