What we’re about
BCE is a literary conversation group where we read together “classic” texts in a broad sense, from before the Christian era, anything loosely before/during the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine I (272–337), his successor and son Constantius II and his nephew, Julian the Apostate, who rejected Christianity and promoted Neoplatonic Hellenism as a philosophy, and the worship of the traditional Roman gods as ritual practice.
BCE expects participants to have read the text and have formulated questions for discussion and have marked a few passages that we can read aloud and discuss. Participants have the same edition in front of them so they can create a common experience.
Examples of texts we can take on: Seneca, Lucan, the epic of Gilgamesh, the Hebrew book of Genesis, the plays of Aristophanes, Homer’s Odyssey, Ovid, Song of Songs, or the Egyptian Story of Sinuhe.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- 92: Ovid: Metamorphoses - 2. Chaos and CreationLink visible for attendees
The theme today is Chaos and Creation.
The color is Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue and the fragrance Byredo’s Mojave Ghost. Tree is Oak. Art work is The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai (1831). Novel is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
In this session, we examine Ovid’s depiction of creation, chaos, and the ordering of the cosmos. Ovid’s universe begins in a state of primordial disorder, which the gods transform into an organized and structured world. Yet, throughout Metamorphoses, chaos returns in various forms, often breaking into the ordered world to disrupt, reshape, or recreate. By examining these cyclical tensions between chaos and order, we gain insight into Ovid’s view of the universe as inherently dynamic and unpredictable.
Read these key passages related to the theme
• Book 1 up to line 447
• The story of Phaethon (end of Book 1 and beginning of Book 2)
• The Transformation of Iphis (Book 9, lines 720-873)
• The poem about Pythagoras's teachings (in Book 15)Pantone Color
- Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue
- This rich blue reflects the depths of the cosmos and the serenity that emerges from ordered creation, capturing the contrast between chaos and structure.
Fragrance
- Byredo’s Mojave Ghost
- This fragrance evokes a balance of earthy and floral notes, symbolizing the natural harmony that emerges from primal chaos, much like the ordered world created by the gods. Get a sample.
Tree
- Oak Tree
- Symbolizing strength and stability, the oak represents the enduring balance and order in nature that emerges from chaos, resonant with Ovid’s portrayal of the world’s creation.
Artwork
- The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai (1831)
- Hokusai’s wave embodies the power and unpredictability of nature, echoing the chaotic forces present in Ovid’s work that continually reshape the world.
Literature
- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) examines creation from chaos.
*****
We're using a new translation of this wide ranging masterpiece that covers the history of the world, from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar in 42 BC in a mythico-historical framework comprising over 250 myths, 15 books, and 11,995 lines. The translation is by Stephanie McCarter, a Classics professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee: Metamorphoses (A Penguin Classics) – Published November 8, 2022.This will take us well into 2025. BCE read the Metamorphoses before in 2020/2021.
A Latin text is online at https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.02.0029 (Hugo Magnus. Gotha (Germany). Friedr. Andr. Perthes. 1892).
- 93: Ovid: Metamorphoses - 3. The Flood and RebirthLink visible for attendees
The theme today is Flood and Rebirth.
The color is Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow and the fragrance Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani (2011). Tree is Willow. Art work is The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault (1818–1819). Essay is John Ruskin's The Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth Century (1884).
Today’s theme centers on how cycles of destruction and renewal shape the world in Metamorphoses. Through the great flood and other destructive forces in the text, Ovid illustrates how the universe and its inhabitants undergo continual processes of dissolution and recreation. The flood story serves as a paradigm for transformation through chaos, and by examining additional passages, we will explore how rebirth and renewal appear throughout the work, often following dramatic or cataclysmic events.
Read these key passages related to the theme
• 1.221-447 — The Great Flood and the Rebirth of Humanity
• 8.198-255 — Daedalus and Icarus
• 11.805-858 — The Transformation of Aesacus
• 7.559-709 — The Plague in Aegina and the Renewal of the Ant People
• 2.358-397 — The Tears of Phaethon’s Sisters
• 15.793-932a — The Deification of Julius Caesar and the Founding of RomePantone Color
- Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow
- This bright, airy yellow represents the brilliance and optimism of flight and aspiration, echoing the sunlight that ultimately leads to Icarus’ fall and symbolizing the allure of reaching for the heavens.
Fragrance
- Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani (2011), water-inspired for the theme of the flood.
Tree
- Willow
- Known for its flexibility and movement, the willow tree symbolizes adaptability and resilience, reflecting the balance between aspiration and humility necessary to navigate the challenges of flight.
Artwork
- The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault (1818–1819)
- This dramatic painting shows survivors of a shipwreck clinging to life, capturing themes of survival, hope, and renewal, echoing the endurance and rebirth seen in Ovid’s flood narrative.
Literature
- John Ruskin's The Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth Century (1884).
- A series of lectures examining the changing climate and polluted skies of industrial England. Using the metaphor of a "storm-cloud," Ruskin critiques the social, environmental, and moral decay he observed in 19th century society
*****
We're using a new translation of this wide ranging masterpiece that covers the history of the world, from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar in 42 BC in a mythico-historical framework comprising over 250 myths, 15 books, and 11,995 lines. The translation is by Stephanie McCarter, a Classics professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee: Metamorphoses (A Penguin Classics) – Published November 8, 2022.This will take us well into 2025. BCE read the Metamorphoses before in 2020/2021.
A Latin text is online at https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.02.0029 (Hugo Magnus. Gotha (Germany). Friedr. Andr. Perthes. 1892).
