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Ovid's Hecale: deconstructing Athens in the Metamorphoses

Gildenhard, I.; Zissos, A.

Authors

I. Gildenhard

A. Zissos



Abstract

This paper examines the narratives in the second half of Metamorphoses 2 dealing with the legendary origins of Athens, which constitute an engagement with the Atthidographic tradition as mediated by Callimachus' Hecale. We argue that these (and various later) episodes subvert or obscure the cultural content of the Atthidography. Ovid's discourse of Attic origins is thereby subjected to 'deconstructive' pressures that result in a subtle but enduring vitiation of Athenian cultural prestige within the world-system of the Metamorphoses. The corollary to this denigration of Athens is the recurring anticipation of Roman ascendancy and the insinuation of a transcendent, all-encompassing Romanitas

Citation

Gildenhard, I., & Zissos, A. (2004). Ovid's Hecale: deconstructing Athens in the Metamorphoses. The Journal of Roman Studies, 94, 47-72

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date 2004-01
Deposit Date Apr 2, 2007
Journal Journal of Roman Studies
Print ISSN 0075-4358
Electronic ISSN 1753-528X
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 94
Pages 47-72
Publisher URL http://www.romansociety.org/fileadmin/documents/doc/webjrs04.htm

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