| Summary: | The thesis consists of text, translation, and commentary on the first 262 lines of Tristia 2. During my doctoral studies, I have written a first draft of text, translation, and commentary on the poem in its entirety; only a section of this could be submitted for examination. This portion was selected for comment because these lines include important information about the carmen et error which avid blames for his exilic predicament, and because they encapsulate a characteristic feature of the work: engagement with contemporary affairs coupled with an interest in literary matters. There is also a brief general introduction to Tristia 2, in which there is a short account of major issues surrounding the poem; some of the material found in the parts of the commentary not submitted for examination is treated here. Stylistic comment is found in the main body of the commentary. Textual matters are discussed in the main body of the commentary. The translation is primarily intended as a tool to aid the reader's understanding of the poem. In the commentary, there is detailed line by line analysis and interpretation of aspects of the poem such as historical references, allusion, etymological play, ambiguities, and humour, as well as technical issues such as usage, grammar, and metre. In terms of historical content, the thesis pays particular attention to Ovid's engagement with the ideology and iconography of the Augustan period. The overall concern of the thesis is to consider Tristia 2 in the context of Ovid' s corpus as a whole, since it provides readings of his earlier works, and a key to understanding those that follow it.
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