What this project is about. This one is from Book 5. How long it took to read this (aloud): 5 mins 05 secs What it’s “about”: Beautiful woman minding her own business, goes skinny dipping. Has to flee a creep (the river god, Alpheus), hides in a cloud with protection of her goddess, but then... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #033/111: “Death and Proserpina”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 5. How long it took to read this (aloud): 14 mins 38 s What it’s “about”: Yikes - Calliope is telling a story - more rape, abduction, search for the girl, bargaining with death etc. Ovid can be grim… Words I didn’t know: xx Quotable... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #032/111: “Pallas Athena and the Muses”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 5. How long it took to read this (aloud): 7 mins 06s What it’s “about”: Pallas has a chat with the nine Muses. After discussing Pegasus, they tell her a scary story of near kidnap and a singing competition… Words I didn’t know: none Quotable... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #031/111: “Perseus’s Battles”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 5. How long it took to read this (aloud): 17 mins 05s What it’s “about”: Perseus’ wedding to Andromeda gets interrupted by a guy who was supposed to marry her, but didn’t save her from the sea monster. Father-in-law tries to stop a battle, unsuccessfully.... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #030/111: “Perseus”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 4. How long it took to read this (aloud): 14 mins What it’s “about”: Perseus saves a captive (chained) young woman, battles a dragon etc. Not sure how the informed and free consent works out here, but that was never high on the agenda for... Continue Reading →
The Pitt, Black Liberation, and what we are not told.
The Pitt, the medical drama on HBO, lives up to the hype. It is worth, as was The Wire, your time and attention, for the questions it raises about how we live (or don’t live) now. The two shows are both about, well, people of good intent (the metrics may vary) doing the best they... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #029/111: “Metamorphosis of Cadmus”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 4. How long it took to read this (aloud): 3 mins 15s What it’s “about”: Cadmus, bemoaning his Job-like fate, gets turned into a lizard. So does his loyal wife. They skink away. Words I didn’t know: none Quotable quotes: “Bewildered by ill luck that... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #028/111: “Ino and Athamus”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 4. In Greek mythology, Ino (/ˈaɪnoʊ/ EYE-noh; Ancient Greek: Ἰνώ [iːnɔ̌ː][1]) was a Theban princess who later became a queen of Boeotia. After her death and transfiguration, she was worshiped as a goddess under her epithet Leucothea, the "white goddess." Alcman called her "Queen of... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #027/111: “Salmacis and Hermaphroditus”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 4. How long it took to read this (aloud): 9 mins 2 What it’s “about”: A girl has needs… Salmacis (Ancient Greek: Σαλμακίς) was a naiad of Greek mythology. She rejected the ways of the virginal Greek goddess Artemis in favour of vanity and idleness.... Continue Reading →
Ovid’s Metamorphoses #026/111: “The Sun and Leucothoe”
What this project is about. This one is from Book 4. How long it took to read this (aloud): 6 mins What it’s “about”: A woman being punished for enjoying consensual sex - turned into a flower, poor petal (after her jealous younger sister snitches). In Greek mythology, Leucothoe (Ancient Greek: Λευκοθόη, from λευκός, "white",... Continue Reading →