Metamorphosis in Classical Literature and its Reception in European Modern Literature

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The stories of metamorphosis would claim a conspicuous position in the European literature. The most famous work of this genre would be the Metamorphoses by Ovid written in Latin in1C. BC. However, even 400 years before Ovid, many stories of metamorphosis were already composed in Greek Literature. Among them, the oldest extant work is the Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis, which contains 41 stories of metamorphosis. This work was so significant that it made a great influence on Ovid and many other later writers. It has not, however, been well studied in Japan, and the Japanese translation of this book has never been published. So, in this research project, I tried a close study on Antoninus Liberalis' Metamorphoses, firstly translating it into Japanese, and secondly, putting a very detailed commentary on the text.In the commentary, the emphasis was made on the following points :(1)Why did the concept of "metamorphosis" come out of the mind of the Ancient Greek people, and what does it mean for them who defined themselves as "mortal"? Did they think that the identity of the person would be maintained even after he/she experienced metamorphosis?(2)When Ovid composed his Metamorphoses, how much was he affected by the work of Antoninus Liberalis, and how did Ovid create his originality, by using the traditional motifs?The study on the reception of the idea of metamorphosis in the later European literature was not well developed in this research project. This problem should be left in my future studies. The Japanese translation of Antoninus Liberalis' Metamorphoses will be published with its commentary from Kodan-sha in a year.