About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about the story of Baucis and Philemon as a love story, focusing in particular on: (i) the representation of love in Ovid’s other works: the Amores, the Heroides and the Ars Amatoria; (ii) the representation of love in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, including the concept of love as a wound or disease; (iii) the story of Apollo and Daphne in Ovid’s Metamorphoses; (iv) the story of Baucis and Philemon as a celebrating of martial love; (v) the extent to which the marriage of Baucis and Philemon might be seen in a negative light; (vi) the lack of amor (erotic love) in the story of Baucis and Philemon, and the question of whether this is a good or bad thing; and (vii) the extent to which Augustus’ moral reforms might impact the way we read the story of Baucis and Philemon.

About the lecturer

Sharon Marshall is Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter and teaches predominantly classical literature and the ancient languages. Her interest in inclusive and innovative pedagogy underpins her own teaching practice, inspired by her research on Classics education in both historical and contemporary contexts.