The Metamorphoses of Ovid

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully translated, poetic, absorbing
Review: A marvelous translation of the Metamorphoses, difficult to put down, very poetic and evocative, leading one into one's own personal associations to the myths while being true to Ovid. I recommend reading it aloud....

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Summary: The Literary foundation for almost everything ever since
Review: Did you ever wonder where Keats garnered the inspiration for Endymion? Or why Shakespeare's plays always make reference to the Greek and Roman gods instead of the Judeo-Christian ones? In part, this book is at the foundation.

This is THE book to get the knowledge of the myths that our modern and not so modern conceptions of Roman and Greek gods and myths come from. And it has served as inspiration for poets, writers, shepherds and talentless hacks for millenia.

Mandelbaum's translation is sufficient in that it is not an original work. A translator must before anything get the point across. Embellishments and other creative input into a translation add only defects. Mandelbaum's tranlsation suffices and is very readable and very understandable.

Edith Wharton's "Mythology" will help one get through it if the verse is incomprehensible to the reader and works well as a supplement to this book. A highly enjoyable and almost mandatory read.

Rating:
Summary: A must read work of art.
Review: Fascinating. Beautifully written. Thought provoking.

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Summary: An invaluable piece of Literature!
Review: For any one interested in truly understanding the development of literature, no book except the Bible, has had more influence. The profoundly entertaining tales of Adonis, Midas, Apollo, Icarus, and many others come to life in this illustrious translation. At first, I was a little indifferent and disinterested in the topic; but I thought of all of those references to Ovid in Dante, Chaucer, and Shakespeare and figured go ahead read it. Well, it was the best decision in long time for me. Before I had finished reading half of the tales, I opened creative doors and answered literary questions that I had never knew existed. If you are interested in the classics of Homer, Virgil and many others, I highly recommend this translation!!

Rating:
Summary: Good but . . .
Review: I'm sorry I must disagree with all other reviewers on this edition. First of all let me quickly say I'm not really rating Ovid, but this specific translation. Don't be fooled by the book cover, which is a rather handsome one. This edition is missing something! The translation seems all right, at times it rhymes, but I'm no judge of that for I've never read Ovid in it's original Latin text (I can't read Latin!). Anyway, the edition lacks any annotation. Now some people may find that to be of no consequence but I think it quite important. This is one of the reasons I value Fagles' Iliad and Odyssey. They are both well annotated and both have interesting introductory essays.

Let me point out why annotation is important. As I was reading Mandelbaum's edition (quite enjoying it), I reached the point where Apollo falls in love with Daphne. I got somewhat confused because then it seemed another character named Phoebus comes in. So it seems we have three characters. And I suddenly realized that in fact Phoebus and Apollo are the same god, Phoebus is just an epithet for Apollo. I only found this out by looking up the notes in the Fagles edition (which by the way also has a pronunciation guide). And so without any annotation, a reader (such as me) who has recently started to read the ancient classics would be clueless, for Ovid assumes that his audience knows what he is writing about-since after all these are Gods know by the Romans. And this where a good editor would bridge the gap (between the modern reader and the ancient writer).

Many say that it is the reader's job to look up things he does not understand. But in a book like this one, where hundreds of gods are floating about, this task would be monumental. Take for example the case of Phoebus and Apollo. Some readers may never have noticed that in fact Phoebus and Apollo have to be the same god. Mandelbaum and all the other learned reviewers may already have knowledge of the Roman mythology but not me. I wish to be slowly eased into Ovid's world but Mandelbaum drowns me. He has little care for readers like me.

Rating:
Summary: Good but . . .
Review: On Ovid: This is one of the best poems ever written. Period. I'm a big mythology buff and many of the Greek and Roman myth versions we know today come from this work. It also tells a compelling story. Shakespeare thought it was great, enough said.

On Mandelbaum: I've read about 4 different translations of this work and Mr. Mandelbaum's is my favorite. He remains precise without being choppy. He keeps it poetic, which I like. There is a fine line translators must walk, being true to the original text while making the english understandable and keeping the imagery, flow, music and intent intact. This version does all of those.

Rating:
Summary: Something everyone must read, especially if you love myth
Review: On Ovid: This is one of the best poems ever written. Period. I'm a big mythology buff and many of the Greek and Roman myth versions we know today come from this work. It also tells a compelling story. Shakespeare thought it was great, enough said.

On Mandelbaum: I've read about 4 different translations of this work and Mr. Mandelbaum's is my favorite. He remains precise without being choppy. He keeps it poetic, which I like. There is a fine line translators must walk, being true to the original text while making the english understandable and keeping the imagery, flow, music and intent intact. This version does all of those.

Rating:
Summary: Your next "ought to read that" read
Review: Ovid is something that people interested in Shakespeare and mythology and Western culture in general ought to read, and Mandelbaum's translation will make you glad while you read it.

Ovid's poem begins with a creation out of chaos and into the golden age, traces the famous careers of Orpheus, Hercules, and Achilles, and culminates with the ascension of Augustus Caesar. Along the way, his tales of young lust, treachery, and enough shape-changes to keep George Lucas in business for decades will pull you into a world in which men contend with gods (and usually, but not always, lose), true love can forestall even death (or make death kidnap a goddess's daughter), and Morpheus is not a gun-toting cyber-revolutionary but a servant of Sleep and a master of imitation.

Mandelbaum's translation balances beauty of language and flow of story to make this classic compilation of Roman myths a page-turner. A beginner might want to acquire an edition with footnotes, but a reader with sufficient background or the resources to research references would do well to acquire this translation of this wonderful text.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Myths
Review: The Metamorphoses is an excellent work and Mandelbaum does a great job of translating. The book is full of the ancient greek myths of hero's, gods, and regular individuals. While not as readable as Homer or Virgil, Ovid gives a great account of many of the ancient myths. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Greek Mythology.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Myths
Review: The Metamorphoses is an excellent work and Mandelbaum does a great job of translating. The book is full of the ancient greek myths of hero's, gods, and regular individuals. While not as readable as Homer or Virgil, Ovid gives a great account of many of the ancient myths. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Greek Mythology.