Ovid

Mandy Green (University of Durham)
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Ovid generally refers to himself in his poetry by his

cognomen

or “family name,”

Naso

— “Nose” — as this could be more easily accommodated to Roman metre. Playful love poet, self-appointed “expert” in the arts of seduction, dramatist, epic poet and poet of exile, Ovid is a compelling storyteller and supreme stylist whose influence on later ages has been immeasurable. Of all the poets of ancient Rome, Ovid, particularly through the epic

Metamorphoses

(

Transformations

) — the richest, most imaginative and comprehensive collection of classical myth to come down to us from the ancient world — has had arguably the greatest impact on the art and literature of medieval, Renaissance and modern Europe.

Ovid was born on 20th March 43 BCE in Sulmo (now Sulmona, Italy), a small

3384 words

Citation: Green, Mandy. "Ovid". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5078, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5078 Ovid 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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