Preface

Summary

I can remember very clearly my first encounter with the Metamorphoses. I was a fourth year undergraduate at Lady Margaret Hall, under the shadow of approaching finals and all that lay beyond. The magnificent scope of the poem, with the peculiar detail of its magical transformations, brought an unsettling sensation of experiencing something completely new. Some months later, I happened upon an old copy of a book in a local charity shop; something about the description on the back cover caught my imagination, and for the princely sum of £1.99, I bought the book and took it away with me. That book was One Hundred Years of Solitude, and within the first few pages, I found myself encountering the same unsettling and exhilarating feeling that I had felt on first reading the Metamorphoses.

This book grew out of my long-standing fascination with the connections between these two texts, and much exploration into how works separated by so much time and space could possess such deep similarities. It has been a long and complex journey to complete this book, and there have been many people who have provided inspiration, support, and guidance along the way. I would like especially to acknowledge the immense input, support, and guidance provided by Dr Rhiannon Ash and Dr Matthew Robinson; I would also like to thank Professor Stephen Hart for his encouragement and advice.