For Curious Minds

I don't know that being curious about this would do you any good, or get you anywhere you need to be, but people have been asking me what my thesis is about. I tend to stare blankly by way of response, due to the fact that I can't sum any of it up, ever.
I'm working on it right now, and I think I can eek out a brief explanation.
Let's begin with the basics:
I'm writing about Ovid, a slightly lesser-known Latin poet from the Augustan era (also includes Virgil, Horace, Propertius), which was the height of Roman poetry, thanks to the patronage of Maecenas, a crony of the 1st Emperor, Augustus, formerly Octavian, adopted son of Caesar. I'm focusing on episodes of Love and Rape within the Metamorphoses, the longest Latin poem, which was written just after Virgil completed the Aeneid. The Aeneid was meant to represent the culmination of Latin poetry (which it was), to signify a transfer of cultural dominance from Greece to Rome, and to glorify Augustus, which was a tough job, only barely pulled off by Virgil. In the Metamorphoses, Ovid tries to subvert the themes which drive the Aeneid, while forging a new type of poetry, merging the ideas of Epic and Elegy. (The Aeneid is the consummate Epic). Ovid had written several books of Elegy (love poetry), before attempting Epic in the Metamorphoses. Therfore, the poem explores not only the transformations of its characters, but the 'morphing' of Ovid's art. The sweet part is that Ovid contrives to present the Aeneid as a mere precursor to his own Metamorphoses. Baaaad aaaaaaass.
On to Love and Rape:
There are something like 50 episodes of rape in the Met, compared to about 20 love stories. Weird, huh?
I'm kind of talking about how these episodes carry the major themes of the Met, while also considering the fact that they make their own statement, independent from the greater themes of the poem.
1) Human Psychology/Emotion --- fear in particular.
-love stories focus on fear of separation (which is inevitable), rape stories discuss fear of rejection (male) and fearing the loss of self-possession (female), which, as defined by the love stories, is necessary for reciprocal love.
2) Change and Transgression --- this is Ovid subverting Virgil
-examines multiple interpretations/outcomes of the same subject or theme, ie narcissistic love, jealous love, devoted love, love at different stages/levels of commitment, applies language of desire, pursuit, fear to both sexes, passive and active actions from both genders, changing perspectives.
-inversion of classical themes, ie women pursuing men, men being raped, nymphs being chaste followers of Diana rather than sexually available playthings for the gods.
-lots and lots of perversion, ie incest, homosexuality, torture etc etc.
I might try to link the concept of fear within the Met. to the transformations themselves. In the love stories, transformation is typically unifying, while in the rape episodes it dehumanizes the female, particularly due to the fact that rape victims turn into inanimate objects, while lovers turn into animals. Good fear vs. bad fear? Women shouldn't get so worked up about being raped? I don't really want to portray Ovid in that light though, nor do I believe that was his motive. However, it's impossible to say without diving into the murky waters of anachronism.
Okay, that's all I'm going to attempt to say. Next time someone asks, I'm referring them to my blog. POWERDORK.