Anthrozoology, or World Literature and the Translation Conundrum

This essay looks at the relationship between the human and the animal with a particular focus on Ovid's Metamorphoses. At the centre of the analysis is Ovid's basic understanding of anthrozoology and his narrative about Lycaon. With continuous reference to the translations into English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish, this interpretation is concerned with the subtle linguistic phenomena that can only be derived from the Latin original text; and which, regardless of the obvious content of the metamorphosis, subvert the traditional distinction between human and animal. The anthropological difference is closely connected to the order of language, which has been considered a defining characteristic of the human being. It is therefore all the more remarkable that the plurality and convertibility of languages can be addressed in the light of Ovid's anthrozoology. With this in mind, the essay concludes by discussing the concept of World Literature.