Ovid's Heroides ─ A New Translation and Critical Essays

This volume offers up-to-date translations of all 21 epistles of Ovid’s Heroides. Each letter is accompanied by a preface explaining the mythological background, and an essay offering critical remarks on the poem, and discussion of the heroine and her treatment elsewhere in Classical literature. Where relevant, reception in later literature, film, music and art, and feminist aspects of the myth are also covered. The book is augmented by an introduction covering Ovid's life and works, the Augustan background, originality of the Heroides, dating, authenticity, and reception. This is a vital new resource for anyone studying the poetry of Ovid, classical myth, or women in the ancient world. A useful glossary of characters mentioned in the Heroides concludes the book.

Paul Murgatroyd has an MA from Cambridge University (UK) and a PhD from the University of London (UK), and in a career of over 40 years lectured at the University of Natal (South Africa) and McMaster University (Canada). He is the author of eleven books and over ninety articles in the field of Classical literature, especially Latin poetry, and he is a published Latin poet in his own right.

Bridget Reeves received an MA and PhD from McMaster University (Canada) and, after teaching part-time at McMaster and Brock University (Canada) over the course of 5 years, completed a B.Ed. at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Currently, she teaches in Hamilton (Canada). Her research interests are in story-telling both in prose and in verse with a focus on the mythological character, Europa. She has authored a number of articles on this subject.

Sarah Parker holds a PhD in Classics from McMaster University (Canada) and is a part-time instructor in the Classics department at Brock University (Canada). She has taught Latin at all undergraduate levels, ancient Greek, and an extensive array of classical literature in translation and mythology courses over the past 14 years. Her research interests are the ancient novel—Apuleius in particular— and Latin literature in general. She is the co-author of an article with Paul Murgatroyd, entitled ‘Love Poetry and Apuleius’ Cupid and Psyche’, 2002.