Allusions to and quotations from Ovid in the writings of Isidore of Seville

Donato De Gianni

2022-01-01

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Abstract

In Isidore, the function and extent of the repurposed Ovidian material are especially varied, as are the contexts from which it is taken and in which it is reused. In some cases, their use is indirect, i.e. mediated by another source, often identifiable with precision; in other cases, it is direct, the result of memories and the author’s personal reading. Regardless of the mode of quotation or allusion, Ovid’s literary authority is recognised in its fullness on a par with that of the Christian sources; indeed, recast according to the principles of the faith and recontextualised, it even acquires a moral weight and dignity. The result is a fusion of pagan and Christian exempla that was well suited to the task of (re)defining a specific cultural identity in an era of transformation such as the seventh century.