When Ovid, already renowned for his love poetry, the Metamorphoses and other works, was exiled by Augustus to Tomis on the Black Sea in AD 8, he continued to write. After five books of Tristia, he composed a collection of verse letters, the Epistulae ex Ponto, in which he appeals to his friends and supporters in Rome, lamenting his lot and begging for their help in mitigating it. In these epistolary elegies his inventiveness flourishes no less than before and his imaginative self-fashioning is as ingenious and engaging as ever, although in a minor key. This commentary on Book I assists intermediate and advanced students in understanding Ovid's language and style, while guiding them in the appreciation of his poetic art. The introduction examines the literary background of the Epistulae ex Ponto, their relation to Ovid's earlier works, and their special interest and appeal to readers of Augustan poetry.

Edition and commentary, aimed at students and scholars, providing the most accessible introduction available to this late work of Ovid.

About the Author
Garth Tissol, Professor of Classics at Emory University, is the author of The Face of Nature: Wit, Narrative, and Cosmic Origins in Ovid's Metamorphoses (1997) as well as articles on Ovid, Virgil and Dryden's translations of Latin literature. He is currently writing a commentary on Books XI-XV of Ovid's Metamorphoses.


Book Information
ISBN 9780521525626
Author Ovid
Format Paperback
Page Count 198
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 217mm * 138mm * 11mm