Synthesizing a wealth of detailed observations, Joseph Solodow
studies the structure of Ovid's poem
Metamorphoses, the role
of the narrator, Ovid's treatment of myth, and the relationship
between Ovid's and Virgil's presentations of Aeneas. He argues that
for Ovid metamorphosis is an act of clarification, a form of
artistic creation, and that the metamorphosed creatures in his poem
are comparable to works of art. These figures ultimately aid us in
perceiving and understanding the world.