Abstract
- Scholarly attention to the Erysichthon scene in Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses has been rather limited, but the scene is notable for Zimmerman’s innovation on both Ovid and his translator David R. Slavitt. Zimmerman designs a full course for Erysichthon, who has been stricken with an eternal hunger, to eat; this course has precedent neither in Ovid nor Slavitt. This is a notable addition considering Zimmerman’s often faithful rendition of her source text. I argue that Erysichthon’s menu puts a lighthearted spin on what is usually read as a very serious story; moreover, this menu situates Zimmerman’s Erysichthon among the Ovidian episodes she adapts in her play, which maintains a humourous tone. Erysichthon’s meal has far-reaching implications not only for contemporary reception of Ovid’s Erysichthon but for Ovidian reception as a field.