A commentary on Ovid, Amores ii, 1-10

Abstract

This thesis attempts to provide for the first time an English commentary on poems from the second book of Ovid's Amores. Included is a text of poems 1-10, to which the present commentary is confined. No independent collation of the manuscripts has been attempted in view of the meticulous work already done in this area by modern scholars, and the text offered would not claim to be a new recension; the readings of the codex Hamiltonensis 471 (Y), however, a manuscript of only fairly recently recognized antiquity, have been taken into account and are documented along with those of P and S, the other antiquiores, in a select apparatus which is intended for use in conjunction with the critical notes in the commentary.

The commentary proceeds on a line by line basis, dealing in detail with specific points of literary, linguistic and textual interest as they arise; wider issues, however, such as the conventions of poetic diction and the use of particular ranges of imagery, also find a place in discussion. The interpretations and elucidations of the older editors have been accorded special attention, and the ipsissima uerba of those such as Heinsius and Burman are regularly cited. Striking features of Ovidian style are naturally noted throughout.

Each poem has in addition an introduction which gives an outline of its content and structure, and endeavours to place the piece in its literary and contemporary social setting. Particular attention is paid to the contribution made by ovid's work to the elegiac tradition established by Tibullus and Propertius, and an attempt is made to assess the extent of Ovid's originality and the measure of his achievement in individual elegies. A select bibliography for each poem is also offered.

The thesis as a whole, therefore, aims to illuminate and to enrich the reading of Amores ii. 1-10 in particular, and in so doing to make some contribution also to the critical assessment and appreciation of Ovid's poetry in general.