Metamorphoses by Publius Ovidius Naso. Translated by Brookes More (1859-1942).
Brookes More was born in the USA. This work is PD in the USA and countries that follow the Rule of Shorter Term.
Click here to be notified by email when this book is complete!
Ovid's Metamorphoses are probably one of the best known, certainly one of the most influential works of the Ancient world. It consists of a narrative poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world through mythological tales, starting with a cosmogony and finishing with the deification of Julius Caesar. Published around 8 AD, the Metamorphoses are a source, sometimes the only source, for many of the most famous ancient myths, such as the stories of Daedalus and Icarus, Arachne or Narcissus.
Ovid works his way through his subject matter often in an apparently arbitrary fashion; however, the connection between all the seemingly unconnected stories is that all of them talk about transformation. Change as the only permanent aspect of nature is the certainty that underlies the work of Ovid, who jumps from one transformation tale to another, sometimes retelling what had come to be seen as central events in the world of Greek myths and sometimes straying in odd directions.
The poem is often called a mock-epic. It is written in dactylic hexameter, the form of the great heroic and nationalistic epic poems, both those of the ancient tradition (the Iliad and Odyssey) and of Ovid's own day (the Aeneid). It begins with the ritual "invocation of the muse," and makes use of traditional epithets and circumlocutions. But instead of following and extolling the deeds of a human hero, it leaps from story to story sometimes in very cunning ways. Because of the clever ways in which it connects the stories, the Metamorphoses were once called the "Thousand and One Nights of the Ancient World". (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Leni)
- How to claim a part, and 'how it all works' here
To find a section to record, simply look at point 5. below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are “up for grabs.” Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which section you’d like to read (include the section number from the left-most column in the reader list, please). Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
Attention: This is a translation in blank verse of a Latin epic. It has a high number of Greek and Latin names, that might require some research on how to pronounce them. Before claiming a section, please take a look at the text, and make sure you feel comfortable with it. As resources for the pronounciation of names, I suggest:
http://www.howjsay.com/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
both of which have audio of the pronounciation and many - but not all! - of the names that appear in the book. If you need help regarding pronounciation, please post on the thread!
- New to recording?
Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording! - Is there a deadline?
Target completion date of this project: April 29th 2010 – but try to send your recordings as soon as you can. Please note that if we haven't heard from you for ONE MONTH, your section(s) will automatically be re-opened for other readers. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it’ll go back to the pool. There’s no shame in this; we’re all volunteers and things happen. - Where do I find the text?
Source text: http://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses1.html#4 but please read from the text links in the Magic Window! - Please claim sections (the numbers in the first column below)!
If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
Prospective Prooflisteners: Please read the Listeners Wanted FAQ before listening! Level of prooflistening requested: Standard
MAGIC WINDOW:
(BC admin) - BEFORE recording:
Please check the Recording Notes:
http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6427#6430
Set your recording software to:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz - DURING recording:
Please leave no more than 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning of your recording!
Make sure you add this to the beginning and end of your recording:
Start of recording (Intro)- " Book [number] part [number] of Ovid's Metamorphoses. - This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit: librivox DOT org"
- If you wish, say:
"Recording by [your name]" - Say:
"Metamorphoses, by Publius Ovidius Naso. Translated by Brookes More. Book [number] part [number]"
- At the end of the section, say:
“End of Book [number] part [number]" - If you wish, say:
"Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]" - At the end of the book, say (in addition):
"End of Metamorphoses, by Publius Ovidius Naso. Translated by Brookes More."
Also, please remember to check this thread frequently for updates! - AFTER recording:
Need noise-cleaning?
Listen to your file through headphones. If you can hear some constant background noise (hiss/buzz), you may want to clean it up a bit. The new (free) version 1.3.3. of Audacity (Mac/Win) has much improved noise-cleaning. See this LibriVox wiki page for a complete guide.
Save files as
128 kbps MP3
metamorphoses_##_ovid.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is your section number. (e.g. metamorphoses_01_ovid.mp3)
ID3 V2 tags
(To find out more about ID3 tags, go to our wiki: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/What_is_ID3)
Add the following tags to your .mp3 file (how you do this depends on which software you use – if you are unsure about ID3 tags, send me a message). Please mind upper and lower case!
Title: ## - Book ## Part #
Artist: Publius Ovidius Naso
Album: Metamorphoses
Please ignore tags for Genre and Track Number - these will be filled in automatically at the cataloguing stage.
Transfer of files (completed recordings)
Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file.
Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader (when your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread):
http://upload.librivox.org
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: le - Leni - If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.
- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader (when your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread):
Please post below or PM me.