Metamorphic Reflections

This "Festschrift" honours the Dutch Latinist Ben Hijmans. Besides his studies on Seneca "philosophus" and Ovid, Hijmans published numerous articles on Apuleius' works, both that author's philosophical and rhetorical oeuvre, and his novel, "The Golden Ass" or "Metamorphoses". In 1973 he initiated the research project "Groningen Commentaries on Apuleius, and until his retirement he was editor-in-chief of the series of commentaries issued from that research project.This collection of essays contains a number of important new and original articles on Apuleius' "Metamorphoses" (by Ken Dowden, Roger Beck, Ellen Finkelpearl, Maeve O'Brien), on the reception of the Latin novel (Harrison), and on Apuleius' rhetorical work (Vincent Hunink). The book presents original research on Ovid's "Metamorphoses" (Paula James) and its reception (Van der Paardt).
Other contributions testify to the broader interests of Ben Hijmans and deal with general cultural aspects (Jan Pieter Guepin), art history (Henk van Os, Marietje d'Hane), or with the art of translating (John Gahan, Hero Hokwerda), with archaeology and iconography (Roman gems: Marianne Kleibrink; "opus sectile" panels at Kenchreai: Hector Williams). There is an impressive article on the religious and iconographic backgrounds of Horace's "carmen saeculare" (Steven Hijmans). Ben Hijmans' fascination with, and insight in mythical motifs is reflected not only in Paula James's and Van der Paardt's articles (on Pyramus and Thisbe and Actaeon respectively), but also in contributions by Rory Egan (Narcissus) and Danielle van Mal-Maeder (on Seneca's mythical tragedies and their transformation in Roman Declamation). John Wortley discusses developments in Boeotia in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Hugh Mason writes on the 'reality' of the apples in Sappho's poetry, and Fokke Akkerman discusses some treatises by Benedictus de Spinoza which illustrate his position on democracy.