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Understanding Trauma and Catharsis in Ovid's Metamorphoses 10 : A Fantacy Reading

Notwithstanding the extensive research done on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, only a few scholars have attempted to discuss the frequent presence of trauma and catharsis in the episodes of the Metamorphoses. The hypothesis in this thesis is that the reader can participate in the cathartic responses of the characters to traumatic experiences in the episodes of Ovid’s Metamorphoses 10, through entering the sub-created world in the narrative. The hypothesis is tested by reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and especially Book 10, through a fantasy perspective based on Tolkien’s concept of sub-creation. The method to be used in the investigation of the Latin text is a combination of an intratextual and a narratological analysis. Episodes with a traumatic theme from Book 10 are used to identify three traumatic themes: the trauma caused by the loss of love or a lover, the trauma caused by the loss of someone or something other than a lover and the trauma caused by forbidden or unnatural love. Episodes which share the same traumatic themes from other books of the Metamorphoses are also selected and discussed. Each episode is discussed by means of Tolkien’s elements of sub-creation, namely recovery, escape and consolation, as focal points. The research concluded that it is possible for the reader to identify with the characters in their experiences of trauma and catharsis by means of participation in the sub-created world. The participation of the reader is made possible by the narrator’s use of defamiliarisation, the use of Tolkien’s aspects of sub-creation and narratological elements. / Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Ancient Languages / DLitt / Unrestricted

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/75556
Date January 2020
CreatorsPieterse, Andries Daniel
ContributorsKritzinger, J.P.K., credesemper@gmail.com, Haskins, Susan
PublisherUniversity of Pretoria
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Rights© 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.

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