Research Paper on:
Erotic Poetry of Ovid and Catullus

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
likely that he was referring to the poetry at the beginning of the Christian calendar. Ovid and Catullus were contemporaries who wrote poetry as before Christ became after Christ,  two thousand years ago. The elevation of feeling that is inherent in their poetry focuses on the beautiful and sublime, the deep sense of commitment and, or, the eroticism  of physical union. The poetry that has come down through history from this period is surprising in that it captures the modern reader with its depth of feeling and  vitality. These are poems that lead to self-reflection as well as meditations on the universalism of love, sexual desire and the human reaction to both. Ovid wrote  Art of Love and Cure for Love at a time when the political powers that be (the Emperor Augustus) was firmly committed to bringing family values and morality into the  limelight of public scrutiny. The Roman virtues of strength, honor and virtue were in direct conflict with what was thought of as decadent. Ovids sensual and explicit poetry  was an affront to these values while still being immensely popular. Catullus poetry was written slightly earlier than that of Ovid, in approximately 60 B.C. It would  be expected that the earlier writing would be more explicit, because of Augustus reputation for demanding morality. This is not true, however. Although somewhat explicit, his poems lack  the passion of what may be called participation. This is because of the difference in voice the two poets utilized. Catullus wrote for the audience, specifically for  those educated enough to understand the innuendoes and subtle parody within the love poems. They are generally spoken to Lesbia or as third person, rather than as a participant