Ovid generally refers to himself in his poetry by his cognomen or “family name,” Naso — “Nose” — as this could be more easily accommodated to Roman metre. Playful love poet, self-appointed “expert” in the arts of seduction, dramatist, epic poet and poet of exile, Ovid is a compelling storyteller and supreme stylist whose influence on later ages has been immeasurable. Of all the poets of ancient Rome, Ovid, particularly through the epic Metamorphoses (Transformations) — the richest, most imaginative and comprehensive collection of classical myth to come down to us from the ancient world — has had arguably the greatest impact on the art and literature of medieval, Renaissance and modern …
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Citation: Green, Mandy. "Ovid". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5078, accessed 08 December 2024.]