H.’s volume is a welcome addition to the growing library of commentaries on Ovid's poem about the Roman calendar. Recent years have seen the publication of commentaries on Books 1 (S.J. Green 2004), 2 (J.F. Miller 1985; M. Robinson 2011), 5 (B.R. Nagle 1996) and 6 (R.J. Littlewood 2006) as well as an Italian commentary on lines 1–516 of Fasti 3 (F. Ursini 2008). These publications supplement earlier commentaries on Book 3 by C. Bailey (1921), and on the entire work by Sir J.G. Frazer (1929) and F. Bömer (1957–8). E. Fantham's 1998 commentary on Book 4 was previously the only volume on the Fasti within the Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics series. H.’s new commentary on Book 3, a section of the Fasti that has attracted scholarly attention for its programmatic importance (S. Hinds, Arethusa 25 [1992]), is a much-anticipated addition to the series. It features rigorous reconsideration of the intricacies of the text and also looks forward to H.’s forthcoming Oxford Classical Text of the entire poem, which will join the longstanding standard Latin edition, the 1978 Teubner by E.Η. Alton, D.E.W. Wormell and E. Courtney.
The introduction contextualises the Fasti with Ovid's life and work, foregrounding Ovidian experimentation with genre, allusion and self-referentiality. In a section entitled ‘Fasti and Metamorphoses’ H. writes that by using the phrase rupit opus to describe how exile interrupted composition of both the Metamorphoses and Fasti (Trist. 1.7.14, 2.549–52), Ovid indicates that the two works were composed concurrently and encourages intertextual readings. For example, H. argues that in the Fasti Aeneas is proceeding to the Numicius, the river that washes away his mortality in the Metamorphoses (Met. 14.581–608), when he encounters Dido's sister, Anna (Fast. 3.603–26). His disappearance from the narrative in the Fasti alludes to the transformation detailed in the Metamorphoses, and Anna in turn becomes a river nymph of the Numicius (cf. H., ‘Some polyvalent intra- and intertextualities in Fasti 3’, in S. Harrison, S. Frangoulidis and T.D. Papanghelis [edd.], Intratextuality and Latin Literature [2018], pp. 273–87). Next, H. argues that Ovid intends for the Fasti to be read against the backdrop of his exile. The displaced Anna, who recounts her errores (Fast. 3.626), parallels the poet exiled for carmen and error (Trist. 2.207–8). As a writer of the calendar and victim of Jupiter's thunderbolt (Trist. 1.1.72, 2.179, 5.3.31), the exiled poet also resembles Numa, who arranges the Roman calendar and tames Jupiter's ‘thundering speech’ (p. 12). After an informative and technical overview of ‘Fasti and Calendars’, H. turns to a section on ‘Book 3’, which includes a synopsis of the book and short overviews of various themes. His treatment of ‘History and Myth’, with a useful chart organising episodes from Book 3 by time period, highlights Ovid's intermixing of material from different eras. A section on ‘Rome, and Other Places’ surveys topographical details written from exile. After these thematic discussions, H. turns to ‘Genre, Style, Metre’. A sub-section on ‘Metre and Versification’, which examines the intricacies of Ovidian metrics such as the absence of non-disyllabic words concluding pentameter in pre-exilic works, exemplifies the attention to detail that characterises the volume.
H. catalogues numerous instances in which his readings of the text differ from those of Alton, Wormell and Courtney, and he discusses each variant reading in the commentary. His readings are weighted towards giving more credit to Ovid's poetic art, presenting intriguing new possibilities for allusions and wordplay. For example, he favours externis (attested in just one manuscript) over the more common reading extremis in the phrase externis dantur conubia gentibus (Fast. 3.195). This allows for an allusion to Aen. 7.98, when Latinus hears that Lavinia will be married to a foreigner (externus), an episode that contrasts with Romulus’ inability to forge marriage alliances. H. also proposes the bold new conjecture matres for nuptas in Mars’ statement about the Matronalia: mater amat nuptas: matrum me turba frequentat (Fast. 3.251). He supports this reading with an intricate argument, citing OLD mater 1c for the meaning ‘married women’, and conjecturing that nuptas was an explanatory gloss which came to replace matres. This new reading allows for wordplay upon ‘the ambiguity of mater’ throughout the line. Furthermore, H. writes that the reading curue (Fast. 3.436), printed in the Teubner but with que instead of ue in some manuscripts, contributes to extended play upon the syllable ue in Ovid's account of Veiouis. Later, when the elderly Anna masquerades as Minerva in order to trick Mars, H. prints the wittier reading canae … Mineruae for carae … Mineruae (Fast. 3.693). Thus, it is not ‘dear Minerva’, but the grey-haired imposter Minerva (Anna), whom Mars almost kisses. H.’s readings, which exemplify rigorous and innovative applications of textual criticism, will supply fruit for debate, as he encourages critical re-evaluation of many passages.
Additionally, H. departs from the Teubner by printing one continuous text, with each new day marked simply by a number in bold to the left rather than a separate heading, and he does not use inverted commas. Although H. has done away with some potentially helpful signposts (as he acknowledges, p. 45), his continuous text, with transitions between speakers and days less clearly marked, challenges the reader to be more attentive to the book's structure. He illustrates the utility of this approach with discussion of how Vesta's dialogue about the assassination of Julius Caesar does not have a clear ending (Fast. 3.703–8; cf. A. Barchiesi, The Poet and the Prince [1997], p. 124). Whereas in other editions inverted commas mark the resumption of the narratorial voice, H.’s text preserves the ambiguity.
Readers of the commentary will encounter literary and historical analysis, discussion of the finer points of grammar, hidden wordplay, topographical details and subtle intertexts, which draw upon H.’s extensive experience with Virgil and Propertius among many other authors (cf. H., Sexti Properti [2007]; commentaries by H. and J. Morwood [2011, 2017]). Highlights include elegiac motifs in Ovid's account of Rhea Silvia, the etymology and topography of Veiouis, intertextuality in Ovid's fourth substantial treatment of the Ariadne myth, and detailed studies of the Matronalia and Anna Perenna. H.’s discussion of Anna Perenna is rife with specific allusions to the Aeneid and intertexts with Ovid's other works, making it useful for those who wish to read and teach these poems concurrently. For example, as Anna leaves Carthage, moenia respiciens (Fast. 3.566) alludes to Aeneas’ departure from the city (Aen. 5.3), and Ovid also uses respiciens when he prepares to go into exile (Trist. 1.3.60). As Anna looks upon the city that was the dulce … opus (Fast. 5.566) of her sister, H. reveals a series of more subtle intertexts with emotional undertones that are simultaneously Virgilian and Ovidian. Dulcis connotes ‘feelings for home and family’ (Trist. 1.3.64) as well as for patria (Trist. 3.8.8), while alluding to Aeneas’ perception of Carthage as he contemplates leaving (Aen. 4.281). Exilic resonances and intertextuality are prominent themes throughout the commentary. The index reflects the array of topics treated, with entries ranging from ‘etymology’ and ‘Augustus’ to specific grammatical constructions. A separate index of Latin words precedes the general index, and there is a substantial bibliography.
H. delves deeply into Book 3 of the Fasti to reveal hidden complexities, offering new readings and interpretations that illuminate an array of high-interest passages. The scholarly rigour that characterises the volume, coupled with its broad scope, makes it useful for readers who wish to engage with the text on a detailed level. Additionally, students who use H.’s commentary will witness a model approach to the poem informed by exacting research, sharp attention to detail, a broad range of scholarly tools and innovative reconsideration of the text. This comprehensive methodology, which is both pragmatic and attuned to the subtle mechanics of Ovid's poetic art, will no doubt inspire new research on the Fasti.
