This book investigates how English Renaissance writers adapted Ovid's Metamorphoses to shape the development of early modern English literature. Raphael Lyne, a scholar of Renaissance literature, examines the intersection of classical reception and vernacular innovation. By analyzing specific translations and adaptations, he argues that the process of imitating Ovid was central to the emergence of a distinct English literary identity during this period.

Scholars recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of classical reception in the English Renaissance. The text is noted for its rigorous analysis of how early modern poets navigated the tension between Latin tradition and the developing English language.