<p>Ovid was perhaps the most prolific poet of Ancient Rome, certainly in the amount of his poetry which has survived (around 30,000 lines). This episode focuses on his 15-book epic, the&nbsp;<em>Metamorphoses</em>, a patchwork of hundreds of stories of transformation, including numerous retellings of famous myths from Apollo and Daphne to the Trojan War.</p><p>In this episode from <em>Among the Ancients</em>, Emily and Tom consider the poem’s depictions of trauma, redemption and the transformation of gender roles, and the formal practices which shape the poetry, such as&nbsp;<em>declamatio</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>suasoria</em>. They also ask how Ovid’s writing in the time of Emperor Augustus affected his work, and the circumstances around his later exile from Rome.</p><p>Non-subscribers can only hear extracts from most of the episodes in this series. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:</p><p>Directly in Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://lrb.me/at...