SEASONAL EXISTENCE: PROSERPINA’S QUESTIONS (Liber V, 385– 409, 564– 571)

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS vii
3. PREFACE xv
4. PRELUDE: CHAOS (Liber I, 1– 30) 1
5. THE FIRST METAMORPHOSIS, OR MAN IS A WOLF TO GOD (Liber I, 210– 240) 3
6. STONE(S) AGE (Liber I, 380– 415) 6
7. DAPHNE’S FUGUES (Liber I, 452– 567) 8
8. IO: THE NONMETAMORPHOSIS (Liber I, 568– 688) 16
9. SYRINX: BECOMING- IN- PLACE, BECOMING- PLANT (Liber I, 698– 712) 18
10. THE SISTERS OF PHAETHON: THE VEGETAL SHAPE OF GRIEF (Liber II, 330– 365) 20
11. . . . AND THE ANIMAL SHAPE OF GRIEF: THE SWAN SONG OF CYCNUS (Liber II, 366– 380) 23
12. CALLISTO: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHE- BEAR (Liber II, 401– 530) 25
13. CROW TROUBLE (Liber II, 531– 632) 27
14. ANOTHER SORT OF METAMORPHOSIS: ASCLEPIUS AND OCYRHOE (Liber II, 633– 675) 30
15. BATTUS: BECOMING- STONE (Liber II, 676– 707) 32
16. METAMORPHOSING INTO A STATUE: AGLAUROS (Liber II, 708– 832) 34
17. WHEN A GOD STEALS HIMSELF: EUROPA’S BULL (Liber II, 833– 875) 36
18. INTERDEATH, INTERBIRTH: CADMUS AND THE SOWING OF SERPENT TEETH (Liber III, 1– 137) 38
19. ACTAEON: THE REVENGE OF THE HUNTED (Liber III, 138– 252) 40
20. FIERY MANIFESTATIONS: SEMELE (Liber III, 253– 315) 43
21. TRANS- TIRESIAS (Liber III, 316– 338) 46
22. DISEMBODYING METAMORPHOSES: ECHO AND NARCISSUS (Liber III, 339– 510) 48
23. FRENZIED BECOMINGS I: DOLPHINS AND OTHER MARINE MOTIFS BORROWED FROM LYDIAN SAILORS (Liber III, 572– 700) 52
24. FRENZIED BECOMINGS II: PENTHEUS, OR THE VOICE OF REASON AS A WILD BOAR (Liber III, 511– 733) 54
25. HUMAN BLOOD/PLANT SAP: ON PYRAMUS AND THISBE (Liber IV, 55– 166) 57
26. MARS AND VENUS: EXPOSURE (Liber IV, 167– 189) 60
27. SHRUB DIARIES: LEUCOTHOE (Liber IV, 190– 273) 62
28. TWO BECOMING ONE: SALMACIS AND HERMAPHRODITUS, WITH SOME FORMULAS AND FORMULATIONS (Liber IV, 274– 388) 65
29. TWILIGHT (Liber IV, 389– 415) 68
30. METAMORPHOSING MINDS: THE MADNESS OF ATHAMAS AND INO (Liber IV, 416– 562) 70
31. FOR “WHAT REMAINS OF ME”: CADMUS’S WIFE AND BECOMING- SNAKE (Liber IV, 563– 603) 73
32. TO BECOME A MOUNTAIN: ATLAS (Liber IV, 604– 663) 75
33. ANDROMEDA AND PERSEUS: BECOMING FREE (Liber IV, 664– 739) 77
34. FROM LIVING TO DEAD CORALS, FROM WOODS TO WOOD (Liber IV, 740– 764) 81
35. PULPED NONFICTION (Liber V, 1– 156) 83
36. PERSEUS, AGAIN: HEART OF STONE (Liber V, 157– 250) 85
37. BECOMING LIQUID: A RIDDLE (Liber V, 255– 267) 87
38. PYRENEUS: EXCERPTS FROM A SELF- HELP BOOK (Liber V, 268– 293) 89
39. 9/IX: THE DAUGHTERS OF EUIPPE (Liber V, 294– 319) 91
40. AN ISLAND MEDITATION (Liber V, 320– 361) 93
41. TEARFUL METAMORPHOSES: CYANE (Liber V, 410– 437, 462– 470) 97
42. SEASONAL EXISTENCE: PROSERPINA’S QUESTIONS (Liber V, 385– 409, 564– 571) 99
43. ARETHUSA: BECOMING THE OTHER (Liber V, 572– 641) 101
44. FOR ARACHNE: A FEW THREADS TO FOLLOW (Liber VI, 1– 145) 104
45. NIOBE: BECOMING SCARCE (Liber VI, 146– 312) 107
46. BECOMING ABUNDANT: LYCIAN PEASANTS (Liber VI, 313– 381) 110
47. SKINNED: MARSYAS’S GRAMMAR LESSON (Liber VI, 382– 400) 113
48. BECOMING WHOLE: PELOPS (Liber VI, 401– 411) 115
49. TEREUS & CO.: A WHIRLWIND OF METAMORPHOSES— FIRE, SNAKES, AUTOPHAGY, BIRDS (Liber VI, 412– 674) 117
50. CHANGING STRATEGIES, METAMORPHOSING MOODS: A NEARLY TAUTOGRAMMIC REFLECTION (Liber VI, 675– 721) 124
51. PROVERBIAL WISDOM: MEDEA (Liber VII, 1– 158) 126
52. THE ART OF BECOMING IMMORTAL (Liber VII, 159– 293) 128
53. THE ART OF BECOMING MORTAL (Liber VII, 294– 349) 131
54. UP AND DOWN: AIR AND EARTH— A MEDITATION (Liber VII, 350– 403) 133
55. THE CAPTURE OF CERBERUS (Liber VII, 404– 452) 135
56. GETTING INFECTED: PANDEMIC DIARIES (Liber VII, 453– 613) 140
57. CROSS- SPECIES IMMIGRANTS: AN INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT (Liber VII, 614– 660) 144
58. BECOMING UNFAITHFUL: CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS (Liber VII, 661– 865) 148
59. DREAMS FROM MY OWNER: A MEMOIR (Liber VIII, 1– 151) 152
60. ARIADNE VARIATIONS (Liber VIII, 152– 182) 155
61. HOW TO SOAR ABOVE THE LABYRINTH OF YOUR MIND: ICARUS’S WINGS (Liber VIII, 183– 235) 157
62. TO PERDIX, THE INVENTOR (Liber VIII, 236– 259) 159
63. DIANA’S BOAR: A PHYTOLOGICAL RITUAL FOR THE ANIMALS THAT WE ARE (Liber VIII, 260– 450) 162
64. MELEAGER: BECOMING ASHES (Liber VIII, 451– 545) 165
65. ISLAND AFTERLIFE: PERIMELE (Liber VIII, 546– 610) 167
66. TREE HOSPITALITY: AN EXEGESIS (Liber VIII, 611– 724) 170
67. SOMETIMES: PROTEUS, THE DAUGHTER OF ERYSICHTHON, AND ERYSICHTHON (Liber VIII, 730– 874) 173
68. PHALLIC METAMORPHOSES (Liber IX, 1– 97) 178
69. FLOODING: REFLECTIONS FROM THE EVENT (Liber IX, 98– 133) 180
70. CLOTHES- SKIN, SKIN- CLOTHES: HERCULES (Liber IX, 134– 272) 182
71. BECOMING ATMOSPHERIC: LICHAS (Liber IX, 211– 229) 185
72. NOTES ON POSITION: ALCMENE (Liber IX, 273– 323) 187
73. DRYOPE: BECOMING A CUT (PLANT) (Liber IX, 324– 393) 190
74. BECOMING YOUNG (AGAIN), GROWING OLDER: IOLAUS AND THE SONS OF CALLIRRHOE (Liber IX, 394– 438) 194
75. BYBLIS: THE EXTERNALIZATION OF DESIRE (Liber IX, 439– 665) 197
76. THE TRANS/FORMATIONS OF IPHIS (Liber IX, 666– 797) 202
77. DON’T LOOK BACK: ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE (Liber X, 1– 85) 205
78. COMING, BECOMING— A CYPRESS TREE (Liber X, 86– 142) 208
79. OF PLANTS AND PLANETS, OF STARS AND SEEDS: GANYMEDE AND HYACINTHUS (Liber X, 143– 219) 210
80. SIN AND CRIME: VENUS AND CERASTAE (Liber X, 220– 242) 212
81. PYGMALION, THE MORNING AFTER (Liber X, 243– 297) 215
82. MYRRHA: THE THRASHING ABOUT OF “NATURE” (Liber X, 298– 502) 217
83. RUNNING: ATALANTA AND HIPPOMENES (Liber X, 503– 707) 220
84. ADONIS, ADONAI, ANEMONE CORONARIA (Liber X, 708– 739) 223
85. ORPHEUS AND HIS CRITICS (Liber XI, 1– 84) 225
86. THE MIDAS TOUCH: SCRIPT FOR A COMMERCIAL (Liber XI, 85– 193) 228
87. BUILDING- WITH, BUILDING-AGAINST: HOW TROY FELL BEFORE THE FALL OF TROY (Liber XI, 194– 220) 230
88. THE TENACITY OF SUBSTANCE: PELEUS AND THETIS (Liber XI, 221– 265) 233
89. A CYCLE OF VIOLENCE: DAEDALION (Liber XI, 266– 345) 235
90. BECOMING A FOSSIL: THE WOLF OF NEREID (Liber XI, 346– 409) 237
91. BEING NO MORE: ALCYONE AND CEYX (Liber XI, 410– 748) 240
92. THE INFURIATING DESTINY OF BECOMING AN IMMORTAL ANIMAL (Liber XI, 410– 748) 243
93. A HAPPY END: IPHIGENIA (Liber XII, 1– 39) 245
94. “DWELLING,” ONLINE (Liber XII, 40– 63) 247
95. ON DEICIDE: CYCNUS AND ACHILLES (Liber XII, 64– 145) 249
96. TRA- TA- TA: TRAUMA, TRANSITION— CAENIS/CAENEUS AND NEPTUNE (Liber XII, 146– 209) 251
97. LAPITHS AND CENTAURS: WEAPONIZATION AND DISFIGURATION (Liber XII, 210– 535) 253
98. PERICLYMENUS: A PARODY OF A PARODY, OR IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PROTEUS AND THETIS (Liber XII, 536– 579) 256
99. THE DEATH OF ACHILLES IN FRAGMENTS (Liber XII, 580– 630) 258
100. WEAPON- ORIENTED ONTOLOGY (WOO): THE ARMS OF ACHILLES (Liber XIII, 1– 398) 260
101. HECUBA’S LAMENT: THE HOWL OF THE PLACE (Liber XIII, 399– 575) 264
102. BECOMING- MANY: MEMNON (Liber XIII, 576– 622) 266
103. THE DAUGHTERS OF ANIUS: A BLESSING (Liber XIII, 623– 647) 270
104. THE DAUGHTERS OF ORION: A BLOOD OFFERING FOR THE WOUNDED EARTH (Liber XIII, 648– 699) 272
105. POLYPHEMUS AND GALATEA: LAND AND SEA (Liber XIII, 700– 897) 274
106. PHYTOMORPHOSIS: GLAUCUS (Liber XIII, 898– 969; Liber XIV, 1– 79) 277
107. THE SIBYL’S MONOLOGUE (Liber XIV, 80– 153) 280
108. BECOMING- FOREIGN- TO- YOURSELF: ACHAEMENIDES (Liber XIV, 154– 222) 282
109. AEOLUS: THE RULER OF THE WINDS (Liber XIV, 223– 319) 284
110. PICUS, OR THE KEYBOARD PECKER (Liber XIV, 320– 434) 286
111. ACMON TURNING INTO A BIRD: A JOKE (Liber XIV, 435– 511) 288
112. AN APULIAN SHEPHERD: BITTER WORDS, BITTER FRUITS (Liber XIV, 512– 565) 290
113. RE: A FUNEREAL HYMN FOR AENEAS (Liber XIV, 566– 608) 292
114. VERTUMNUS, VERTIMUS: THE TURN OF BECOMING (Liber XIV, 609– 697) 293
115. MARBLE THOUGHTS: ANAXARETE (Liber XIV, 698– 764) 296
116. THE APOTHEOSIS OF ROMULUS: BLOOD FOR CELESTIAL PEACE (Liber XIV, 765– 851) 298
117. HOMELAND INSECURITY: MYSCELUS (Liber XV, 1– 59) 301
118. A VEGAN FEAST OF WORDS: PYTHAGORAS (Liber XV, 60– 390) 303
119. THE PHOENIX MEMO (Liber XV, 391– 478) 308
120. RUNNING OUT OF WORDS: A WOUNDED BODY POLITIC— HIPPOLYTUS (Liber XV, 391– 546) 309
121. BEING DOUBLE: CIPUS (Liber XV, 547– 621) 312
122. ORBI ET URBI: TO THE WORLD AND TO THE CITY— THE APPROXIMATIONS OF POWER (Liber XV, 622– 744) 315
123. THE INDIGESTIBILITY OF FATE (Liber XV, 745– 870) 319
124. THE WORK UNDONE: OVID (Liber XV, 871– 879) 321