This article illustrates that metamorphosis functions not only as a literary motif but also as a narrative technique: thematic metamorphoses within a narrative often require corresponding textual transformations that alter the narrative’s presentation. Although ancient Greek literature features numerous examples of (bodily) transformations, the Greek term ‘metamorphosis’ is notably absent, appearing only in Hellenistic and Roman texts, with Ovid’s Metamorphoses being the most prominent example. In Ovid’s work, metamorphosis functions as both a cosmological principle and a poetic device: divine intervention alters the characters' bodies within the narrative, while playful word order ambiguously transforms the storytelling itself. The article challenges the inclination to view Ovid’s Metamorphoses as the definitive model for literary metamorphoses, arguing instead that no single, unequivocal model exists. Various other models are available, two of which will be further discussed here. In Sophocles’ Oidípous Túrannos, metamorphosis assumes a tragic dimension: Oidipous’ status shifts through reversal and recognition, with wordplay involving oĩda (I know) and pous (foot) undermining his supposed superior knowledge. In Melville’s Moby-Dick, hermeneutic metamorphosis highlights interpretative transformations, where meaning expands through subjective interpretations, culminating in the multifaceted understandings of the white whale Moby Dick. Together these three models demonstrate metamorphosis as a narrative technique that reshapes both the story and its telling.
Martijn Boven (Sun,) studied this question.