Annotated Bibliography

Goldman, N., & Nyenhuis, J. E. (1982). Latin via Ovid: A first course (2nd ed.).

Wayne State University Press.

This textbook is a beginner Latin course that teaches the basics of grammar, vocabulary, and syntax through Ovid’s teachings. Following my crisis in self-confidence (outlined in ‘Classical Con: Am I a Fraud?’), Dr. Robert M. and I evaluated a wide variety of beginner Latin textbooks and decided that I should buy this one. I bought it with the intent of forming a new ‘parallel track’ of my Signature Project, where I retrace the basic steps of Latin grammar to ensure that my foundational knowledge is able to provide me with a strong base to stand on while I reach to translate original Latin texts. This textbook is well-known and widely used.

Ovidius Naso, P. (1922). Metamorphoses (B. More, Trans.). Cornhill Publishing.

(Original work published 8)

This is an English translation of the original Latin text (Ovid’s Metamorphoses) that I am working to translate parts of. I accessed this translation through the Tufts University free online database, the Perseus Digital Library. Given that I am translating from Latin into English, at first glance it seems counterproductive - or perhaps even like cheating - for me to consult an English translation while doing so. However, my use of this translation was minimal; I often used it when I had already translated a section, and wanted compare how aspects of my translation, such as characterization or intentional shifting of pronouns, match up (or don’t) with Brookes More’s. Given that I am focussing on queer texts and such topics were treated as taboo in the 1920s, when this was published, it is unsurprising to see that my translations often have stronger romantic connotations.

Ovidus Naso, P. (1882). Metamorphoses (H. Magnus, Ed.). (Original work published

8)

This is the edition of the original Latin text that I am translating; it was published in 1882. I accessed this text through the Tufts University free online database, the Perseus Digital Library.

The original Latin text was published in 8CE. There is no way of conclusively knowing that this text is one hundred percent exactly what was written in 8CE; in fact, the likelihood of that is very low. However, the copies of this text that we do have remaining are for the most part identical, which lends credence to the text. Additionally, scholars analyze such remaining texts for hints of sections that have been added later on, such as the Helen Episode in Vergil’s Aeneid. Despite all of this work to ensure that this text is as accurate and similar to the one written in 8CE, there are always discrepancies. For example, in line 715 of book IX, in this edition, the word ‘despondet’ (he/she/it despairs) is used. In other editions, that word is ‘despondit’ (he/she/it despaired). By changing that single vowel, the tense of the entire sentence is shifted from present to perfect. There is no way of knowing which tense was the one written by Ovid, and which one is simply a hand-written typo made by a monk sometime in the Renaissance era.