Metamorphoses of Mythological Education: Ovid and his Metamorphoses as Subjects of Secondary Education in Germany

The paper presents a case study in a country where the classical tradition has deep roots. In Germany, education was steeped in Classics in the early modern period, as modern educational systems evolved, and this is reflected in Markus Janka and Michael Stierstorfer’s paper. Rather than raising questions about the place of mythology within education it takes its position for granted, honing in on the use of one particular author, Ovid, within the German gymnasium curriculum. Janka and Stierstorfer demonstrate that whereas in the first half of the twentieth century Ovid was overshadowed by Virgil and Horace, with the mythical narratives of the Metamorphoses relegated to the middle level of higher education, in recent decades, and especially in the new millennium, Ovid has had something of a rebirth. The complete volume "Our Mythical Education: The Reception of Classical Myth Worldwide in Formal Education, 1900–2020", edited by Lisa Maurice, focuses on school education including a wide geographical and chronological range. The volume covers Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas (including Canada, the USA, and South America), Australia and New Zealand. Published in the series “Our Mythical Childhood”, edited by Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak (University of Warsaw, Poland). The complete volume is available at https://www.wuw.pl/product-eng-14887-Our-Mythical-Education-The-Reception-of-Classical-Myth-Worldwide-in-Formal-Education-1900-2020-PDF.htmlThis project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 681202 (2016–2022), "Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children's and Young Adults' Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges", ERC Consolidator Grant led by Katarzyna Marciniak. Project's Website: www.omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl. The publication is licensed under (CC BY 3.0 PL) (full license available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/pl/legalcode)