Metamorphoses Lesson Plan

Discussion: Ovid and the Genre of Epic

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will explore the text's subversive and ironic approach to genre.

Common Core Standards:

N/A

Structure:

This activity has two parts. In the first part, students should organize themselves into groups of 2-3 people, and the teacher should have them watch read the following passage from Chapter 4 of Lleweyn Morgan's book Ovid: A Very Short Introduction:

"The metamorphic character of the Metamorphoses is […] not restricted to explicit descriptions of shape-shifting. In a more profound sense Ovid’s epic is devoted to destabilizing the order and certainties that...