Love, Suffering, and Transformation in Tales from Ovid and Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Authors
St. Marie, Olivia
Date of Issue
2025-04-25
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Subject Keywords
Other Titles
What can Love Accomplish?
Abstract
Tales from Ovid by Ted Hughes, based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, details various stories of creation, love, and violence, but as its Latin name suggests, they are all also stories of transformation. While many are tales of unrequited infatuation, some, like Pyramus and Thisbe, seem to show possibly real love. Similarly, Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, tells a story of love, violence, and ultimately transformation as Janie grows through life and different relationships. These two stories together demonstrate how love can offer people the courage and space to transform, but also how it requires a vulnerability that opens them up to suffering.