Over the course of the year, our reading group will explore the links between magic and metamorphosis in literature, what distinguishes the two and what brings them together. Is all metamorphosis a result of magic, and does all magic result in metamorphosis? How do they relate, and what are the stakes? We will focus particularly on the place of women relative to both concepts, examining both the powerlessness that comes from being the victim of a metamorphic influence and the power that can accompany its wielding by goddesses and witches. Finally, we will consider death relative to metamorphosis. Is the changing of shapes a form of death? Or is death the ultimate metamorphosis? 

We are looking to consume a wide variety of texts and media, from medieval French poetry to twentieth century film and theater, alongside passages from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Possible texts include the poetry of Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes, Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi, Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, Jean Cocteau’s 1950 film Orphée, the 1964 film My Fair Lady, theoretical works by Kristeva and Irigaray, and Anaïs Mitchell’s concept album Hadestown. For one session, we will work with Special Collections to explore Princeton’s collection of books on magic. In drawing these various works together, we hope to understand not only the transformations that occur within these works, but also the transformations that occur between them, as the myths themselves are adapted to different ages and media. 

Fall Schedule:

• September 11
• September 25
• October 9
• October 30
• November 13
• December 4