Cultural transformations of the concept of transformation : Ovid and Kafka

Abstract

The concept of metamorphosis is one that has migrated culturally through various spectrums, such as time and media. It has been culturally transformed to suit the period of time and also the genre in which it is used. This cultural migration has been analysed in this thesis through the works of Ovid and Kafka as the main texts. The concept of metamorphosis has been analysed from two main aspects: the transformation of the body and its effects on the mind, as well as the transformation of the concept itself. Stephen Greenblatt’s Cultural Mobility: A Manifesto is the principal text used to analyse the movement of the concept of metamorphosis in light of the theory of cultural mobility. To further analyse the concept of transformation, both as a physical change and also from its psychological aspect, various secondary texts have been used such as: Harold Skulsky’s Metamorphosis: The Mind in Exile, Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka’s Metamorphosis: Creative Imagination in Fine Arts Between Life-Projects and Human Aesthetic Aspirations, Volume 81, Bruce Clarke’s Allegories of Writing: The Subject of Metamorphosis, and David Gallagher’s Metamorphosis: Transformation of the Body and the Influence of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” on Germanic Literature of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries among others. The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter focuses on the psychological aspect that surrounds the idea of transformation. The second chapter examines the way metamorphosis is used in different genres ranging from epic poems to gothic narratives, while also focusing on the movement of the concept of transformation through different eras, from ancient Greece to the 20th century. This thesis’ third chapter is highlights the incorporation of the concept of metamorphosis into different media. The fourth and final chapter explores the concept of metamorphosis in different aspects of popular culture, such as adaptation, superheroes, and contemporary literature.