Forms of Astonishment Greek Myths of Metamorphosis

In this illustrated study Richard Buxton analyses Greek literary narratives and visual representations of the metamorphosis of humans and goods, as evidenced from Homer to Nonnos. Such tales have become familiar in their Ovidian dress, as in the best-selling translation by Ted Hughes; Buxton explores their Greek antecedents. He investigates such issues as: How do different contexts shape the way in which metamorphosis is narrated? How do the assumption of commentators about 'strangeness' affect how metamorphosis is interpreted? How far should an interpreter allow 'contextual charity' to render more acceptable a belief such as that in metamorphosis? What are the implications of the notion of 'astonishment' (Greek: thambos) in a range of narratives about transformation?

Richard Buxton is Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Bristol.