Ovid and Masculinity in English Renaissance Literature

Reviews / Votes

"Ovid and Masculinity in English Renaissance Literature uncovers a surprising nuance in the Renaissance construction of masculinity -- namely, that it is precisely the destabilization of manhood in Ovid that Renaissance writers use to mitigate their own anxieties about gender categories. This impressive collection of engaging essays by leading scholars sheds light on under-appreciated aspects of the Metamorphoses and on English Renaissance constructions of gender." Joseph Ortiz, University of Texas at El Paso "The essays handle the perennial balancing act between scholarly groundwork and literary analysis well. The editors disclaim comprehensiveness, but the twelve studies they have gathered and framed between their energizing introduction and Enterline's envoy do fine justice to the myriad and protean representations of masculinity engendered by Ovid's works in the English Renaissance." Renaissance Quarterly "With impressive range and unfailing brilliance, Ovid and Masculinity in English Renaissance Literature challenges such 'straight,' unitary, and essentialized views of masculinity in the Ovidian corpus and in the wide range of Renaissance texts inspired by him." Renaissance and Reformation "By presenting different perspectives, Ovid and Masculinity in English Renaissance Literature offers a multifaced and complex account of a kind of masculinity that is as metamorphic as Ovid's most influential poem, but that so far has received considerably less scholarly attention." Renaissance Studies