Roman poetry of all periods reveals a dynamic relationship between tradition and innovation. During the turbulent late Republic, Catullus inaugurated a new direction in Roman poetry by combining the influence of Hellenistic and other Greek poets with that of archaic and contemporary Roman poetic traditions. One of the most important poets of the ensuing Augustan era was Ovid, whose diverse poetic output reflects a changed Roman world and its evolving poetic tradition. His poetry, like Catullus', exerted an influence on the subsequent literary tradition that endures to our own day. In the first half of this course, we will read the poetry of Catullus and study the variety of influences, genres, themes, and modes of expression that it embodies. We will try to understand Catullus' place in the evolution of the Roman poetic tradition as well as the significance of his influence on subsequent generations of poets. In the second part of the course, we will move ahead about sixty years to Ovid. After reading selections from his earlier work we will turn to the Metamorphoses, which formulated what came to be the canonical versions of many Greco-Roman myths. We will consider the epic's use of different forms and combinations of narratives, Ovid's priorities as a poet, and the significance of metamorphosis as a unifying theme. Selected narratives will be read in the original and all of the epic in translation. Evaluation will be based on classroom performance, quizzes, short essays, presentations, and a final exam. Prerequisite: Latin 201 or permission of the instructor.