Forms of Astonishment: Myths of Metamorphosis in Ancient Greece
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: School of Humanities
Abstract
(A) Context of research:
My project tries to make sense of stories which the ancient Greeks told about astonishing kinds of bodily transformation: changes which gods chose to undergo, for a variety of reasons (as when Zeus adopted different shapes to pursue his erotic affairs) and changes which mortals experienced in extreme situations (as when Actaeon was changed into a stag as punishment for seeing a goddess naked). This project fits into four main research contexts: (1) the continuing interest in understanding Greek mythology and religion in new and increasingly sophisticated ways; (2) the importance which scholars now attribute to uncovering 'the interpreter's assumptions' when approaching another (or our own) culture; (2) work being done on representations of metamorphosis in post-classical literature and art; (3) research by historians into how different cultures classify and depict 'marvellous' events.
(B) Aims and objectives:
I want to explore questions such as: Why did the Greeks tell stories about metamorphosis? What do metamorphosis stories tell us about the Greeks' attitudes to their gods? How do Greek metamorphosis narratives differ from those of other cultures? How seriously did the Greeks take these tales? What about those Greeks who rejected the notion of astonishing change?
These issues form the basis of a book which I am writing for Oxford University Press; my research project is designed to allow me to have the typescript complete by the end of my leave. There are three main parts to my argument:
(1) Introduction: I first set out various ways in which the concept of metamorphosis has been understood: in literature (Ovid, Dante, Kafka), in art (the rich visual tradition of the Renaissance, with its modern inheritors such as Dalí), in cinema and computer graphics (the notion of 'morphing' as seen in, for instance, Willow and the Terminator movies), in biology. After that, I outline the most important scholarly approaches to metamorphosis in ancient Greece, and I explain what my own treatment will add: namely (Part I) a detailed analysis of specific narratives in different types of literature and art, followed by (Part II) an investigation into themes which recur in several genres.
(2) Analysis of narratives: I examine how metamorphosis is explored in Homer's Odyssey, in Athenian tragedy and comedy, in visual art, and in some literary texts of the Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic periods. I want to highlight some important aspects of the works concerned, while at the same time keeping my eye on general questions like: What could have made the Greeks keep telling these stories?
(3) Analysis of themes: I divide the material into four chapters: the gods; transformations of humans into features of the landscape; transformations of humans into plants/trees; thinkers who were sceptical of the whole idea of metamorphosis. In discussing the gods I investigate what the stories about the transformations of divinities tell us about Greek religion, including how we should locate Greek religion in relation to other religions (Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hindu). In discussing humans transformed into landscape and plants or trees I put the question: did the Greeks really take such possibilities seriously? (My answer is: it all depends on the context.) Finally I listen to the voices of those who were sceptical about belief in metamorphosis; how representative of Greek opinion were these critics?
(C) Potential applications and benefits
An important question underlying all this research is: How should we interpret what we identify as 'strange' in the beliefs of another society? As well as contributing to our knowledge about the Greeks, asking this question is relevant more generally to historians and anthropologists; but it should also have resonance for any thoughtful member of a modern society who reflects on how one group of people thinks about another group which holds apparently 'strange' beliefs.
My project tries to make sense of stories which the ancient Greeks told about astonishing kinds of bodily transformation: changes which gods chose to undergo, for a variety of reasons (as when Zeus adopted different shapes to pursue his erotic affairs) and changes which mortals experienced in extreme situations (as when Actaeon was changed into a stag as punishment for seeing a goddess naked). This project fits into four main research contexts: (1) the continuing interest in understanding Greek mythology and religion in new and increasingly sophisticated ways; (2) the importance which scholars now attribute to uncovering 'the interpreter's assumptions' when approaching another (or our own) culture; (2) work being done on representations of metamorphosis in post-classical literature and art; (3) research by historians into how different cultures classify and depict 'marvellous' events.
(B) Aims and objectives:
I want to explore questions such as: Why did the Greeks tell stories about metamorphosis? What do metamorphosis stories tell us about the Greeks' attitudes to their gods? How do Greek metamorphosis narratives differ from those of other cultures? How seriously did the Greeks take these tales? What about those Greeks who rejected the notion of astonishing change?
These issues form the basis of a book which I am writing for Oxford University Press; my research project is designed to allow me to have the typescript complete by the end of my leave. There are three main parts to my argument:
(1) Introduction: I first set out various ways in which the concept of metamorphosis has been understood: in literature (Ovid, Dante, Kafka), in art (the rich visual tradition of the Renaissance, with its modern inheritors such as Dalí), in cinema and computer graphics (the notion of 'morphing' as seen in, for instance, Willow and the Terminator movies), in biology. After that, I outline the most important scholarly approaches to metamorphosis in ancient Greece, and I explain what my own treatment will add: namely (Part I) a detailed analysis of specific narratives in different types of literature and art, followed by (Part II) an investigation into themes which recur in several genres.
(2) Analysis of narratives: I examine how metamorphosis is explored in Homer's Odyssey, in Athenian tragedy and comedy, in visual art, and in some literary texts of the Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic periods. I want to highlight some important aspects of the works concerned, while at the same time keeping my eye on general questions like: What could have made the Greeks keep telling these stories?
(3) Analysis of themes: I divide the material into four chapters: the gods; transformations of humans into features of the landscape; transformations of humans into plants/trees; thinkers who were sceptical of the whole idea of metamorphosis. In discussing the gods I investigate what the stories about the transformations of divinities tell us about Greek religion, including how we should locate Greek religion in relation to other religions (Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hindu). In discussing humans transformed into landscape and plants or trees I put the question: did the Greeks really take such possibilities seriously? (My answer is: it all depends on the context.) Finally I listen to the voices of those who were sceptical about belief in metamorphosis; how representative of Greek opinion were these critics?
(C) Potential applications and benefits
An important question underlying all this research is: How should we interpret what we identify as 'strange' in the beliefs of another society? As well as contributing to our knowledge about the Greeks, asking this question is relevant more generally to historians and anthropologists; but it should also have resonance for any thoughtful member of a modern society who reflects on how one group of people thinks about another group which holds apparently 'strange' beliefs.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Richard George Alexander Buxton (Principal Investigator) |