In this module, we will take a guided journey through the first book of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, one of the most influential works of classical literature. Designed for those with at least a basic knowledge of Latin, the module invites you to read the original text closely, exploring its grammar, metrics, and storytelling.

Sessions will run like a collaborative reading group: you will prepare sections of the text in advance using a specially prepared student edition, then we will work through the passages together—pausing to address questions, clarify difficult points, and follow areas of interest raised by participants. Along the way, we will consider why Ovid’s epic of transformations has captivated readers for centuries, inspiring countless works of art, literature, and philosophy.

Whether you are drawn to its mythological richness, its poetic artistry, or simply the joy of reading Latin in community, this module offers both structure and freedom to deepen your appreciation of Ovid’s masterpiece.

Course structure

• Session 1: Creation (Lines 1-88)
• Session 2: The Golden, Silver, Bronze, Iron Ages; the Giants; Jupiter threatens to destroy the world (Lines 89-198)
• Session 3: Lycaon; The Great Flood (Lines 199-292)
• Session 4: The Drowned World; Deucalion & Pyrrha (Lines 293-380)
• Session 5: Recreation of the world; Python; Daphne and Apollo (beginning) (Lines 381-472)
• Session 6: Daphne & Apollo (cont); Inachus mounts for Io (Lines 473-587)
• Session 7: Io (Lines 588-688)
• Session 8: Syrinx, Io returned to human form; Phaeton (Lines 689-779)