Women Without Faces: Exemplary Control in Ovid's Amores 2

A critical analysis of the second book of Roman poet Ovid’s work of erotic elegies, Amores. Through a close reading of several crucial poems in book 2 of this work (2.17, 2.4-5, 2.2-3, and 2.7-8) and the application of modern literary and gender theories, such as the idea of gender performativity as proposed by Judith Butler, I argue that the poet implies the closure of erotic elegy as a genre of Roman literature, poising Amores as the ultimate gendered product of its genre. This is achieved by the poet through his characterization of himself and his beloved puella, which is coloured primarily by his use of mythical exempla that are applied to his poetic scenarios to persuade the reader and ensure both the narrator’s (the amator’s) erotic success and the poetic success of the author. Ovid subverts generic expectations and tropes to show both his literary erudition and to separate himself from his predecessors, allowing him to exert control over his poetics and the amator’s puella, who, for Ovid, is first and foremost a vaguely characterized poetic construct that enables his poetic success.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Greek & Roman Studies

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Sonmor, Brandon Bruce

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Maynes, Craig

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Jenkins, Jacqueline
• Toohey, Peter
• Maynes, Craig
• Humble, Noreen

• Ovid
• Amores
• Rome
• Latin
• Poetry
• Augustus
• Masculinity
• Feminity
• Exempla
• Closure
• Poetics
• Erotic elegy
• Elegy
• Intertextuality
• Propertius
• Tibullus
• Catullus
• Callimachus
• Homer
• Greek poetry

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/50776

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/123280