In our time Ovid

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seneca2008
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In our time Ovid

Post by seneca2008 »

This weeks's episode of in our time is about Ovid. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vhk5

Contributors

Maria Wyke at University College London

Gail Trimble at the University of Oxford

Dunstan Lowe at the University of Kent

"Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso (43BC-17/18AD) who, as he described it, was destroyed by 'carmen et error', a poem and a mistake. His works have been preserved in greater number than any of the poets of his age, even Virgil, and have been among the most influential. The versions of many of the Greek and Roman myths we know today were his work, as told in his epic Metamorphoses and, together with his works on Love and the Art of Love, have inspired and disturbed readers from the time they were created. Despite being the most prominent poet in Augustan Rome at the time, he was exiled from Rome to Tomis on the Black Sea Coast where he remained until he died. It is thought that the 'carmen' that led to his exile was the Art of Love, Ars Amatoria, supposedly scandalising Augustus, but the 'error' was not disclosed."

Perhaps they tried to pack too much into one programme. In the future I hope they might consider a programme which focuses on the metamorphoses or even a whole programme on Roman Elegy. In any event I enjoyed it and anyone listening will be amazed at the variety of Ovid's achievement.

Also there was a spirited defence against accusations that he deals with too many seemingly similar sets of circumstances. The fact that he can find many ways of spinning essentially similar material is something to admire. Rather like Haydn (and indeed Beethoven from whom presumably he learned it) who could write whole movements on what looks like unpromising material, often just a simple motif.
Persuade tibi hoc sic esse, ut scribo: quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt. Turpissima tamen est iactura, quae per neglegentiam fit. Et si volueris attendere, maxima pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, magna nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.

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Barry Hofstetter
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Re: In our time Ovid

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A program focusing on the Metamorphoses, et al., would be magnificent, I agree, but I thought this a very fine overview of Ovid and his work in general.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter

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jeidsath
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Re: In our time Ovid

Post by jeidsath »

Bragg did one on the Metamorphoses already, maybe about 10 years ago. (In fact 20 years ago, now that I look. Time flies.)
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

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seneca2008
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Re: In our time Ovid

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Interestingly that previous episode was entitled metamorphosis. It took as it's departure point Ovid's metamorphoses but was perhaps more interested in its reception in English literature, especially the then recently published (1997) Ted Hughes version. Interesting as A. S. Byatt and Catherine Bates are as literary critics neither are classicists and I rather missed that.

As Barry says the current episode was a tour de force and anyone who didnt know much about Ovid would have had their appetite whetted for more.
Persuade tibi hoc sic esse, ut scribo: quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt. Turpissima tamen est iactura, quae per neglegentiam fit. Et si volueris attendere, maxima pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, magna nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.

cb
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Re: In our time Ovid

Post by cb »

Agreed! For those who would like a little more, there’s a really good book by Morgan that has come out recently. It’s so short and clear you can finish it at a sitting of a few hours max, but there’s enough information that I’ll go back and read parts again:

https://global.oup.com/ukhe/product/ovi ... gb&lang=en&

Also check out the documentary on Ovid by Michael Wood - like all his others, this is great.

Cheers, Chad

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Re: In our time Ovid

Post by Hylander »

Sorry I missed this. I'm rereading the Metamorphoses -- just finished Book 12 -- the Trojan War. Instead of telling the story of the war itself, Book 12 is occupied mostly by Nestor's long-winded after-dinner tale of the Lapiths and the Centaurs, which turns into an outrageous Iliadic parody, a Homeric battle with endless back-and-forth killings of men and centaurs with elaborate Greek names and patonymics, complete with bizarre Homeric wounds. Caenus' transformation from woman Caenis to man preceding the battle and then at the very end to a bird, barely frames the battle, as Nestor goes on and on. Ovid's subversive wit at work.
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Re: In our time Ovid

Post by Aetos »

Hylander wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 4:02 am Sorry I missed this.
You can still catch the recording by clicking on Seneca's link. They've also archived quite a lot of the broadcasts-it's a virtual goldmine!

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Re: In our time Ovid

Post by Hylander »

I listened to the recording and just received the book by Morgan Llewellyn. I immediately read the chapter on the Metamorphoses. He does a good job of highlighting Ovid's subversive wit, which I think the recording didn't quite manage to bring out.
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Re: In our time Ovid

Post by Ronolio »

Seneca,
Thank you for the link. I proceeded to download 33 other episodes and now have much of my listening material for walking for the next several weeks at least.

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