BIBFRAME Work

Title

Metamorphosis, landscape, and trauma in Greco-Roman myth

Type

• Monograph
• Text

Contribution

Eidinow, Esther (author )

Language

• English

Content

• text

Summary

"This study explores the hidden histories offered by Greco-Roman myths of metamorphosis, and what they can reveal about the lived experience and worldviews of ancient men and women. It investigates the role of the body, and the embodied experiences of emotions in these stories, arguing that these narratives of transformation allow us to glimpse aspects of our historical subjects, which in other sources remain largely unseen. In these narratives of metamorphosis we discover ancient worldviews: they disclose the perceived inter-relationships of human, non-human and more-than-human entities. They show us that the human body was understood not only as a part of an extended network of beings, but also to consist of, and interact with, the same substances that were believed to comprise the surrounding landscapes: earth, air, fire and water. By grouping together stories according to these elements, this study highlights the patterns that underline different metamorphoses, comparing the experiences of male and female protagonists. These stories, it argues, express risks of transgressions, both for individuals and for the wider community. They tell us about the dangers that were perceived to be inherent in social roles, and in relations with the gods; they describe bodies both at risk and of risk. And among those risks are extreme emotions-appearing as both cause and result of these startling bodily changes. These are narratives of the body that capture one of its most ephemeral aspects: the experience of intense, even traumatic emotions, in which a person and the world around them comes to seem transformed. Drawing on psychological research, this study suggests that these stories evoke experiences that persist across time and place, conveying an experience of the emotional body that speaks to us still"-- Provided by publisher.

Authorized Access Point

Eidinow, Esther. Metamorphosis, landscape, and trauma in Greco-Roman myth

Admin Metadata

• Date: 2026-09-11T20:16:27.186372+00:00
• Agent: cbc
• Status: c
• Derived from: 24093480

Admin Metadata

• Date: 2026-09-11
• Cataloger id: Unknown
• Description level: http://id.loc.gov/ontologies/bibframe-2-6-0/
• Description language: eng
• Description authentication: pcc