Metamorphosis, type of fable into which only men are usually admitted; because it is the case of a man transformed into animal, tree, river, mountain or stone, or whatever pleases the author; however, this rule has more than one exception. In the metamorphosis of Pyramus and Thisbe, the fruit of a mulberry tree is changed from white to black. In the fable of Coronis and Apollo, the gabbing crow suffers the same transformation.

Metamorphoses are frequent in Mythology: there are two kinds of it, some are apparent; others are real. The metamorphosis of gods, such as the one of Jupiter into a bull, the one of Minerva into an old lady, are only apparent, because these gods do not keep the form they took; but the metamorphosis of Coronis into a rook, of Arachne into a spider, of Lycaon into a wolf, were real, meaning that those who changed kept the form into which they were transformed; that is what we learn from Ovid, who gave us the most complete and pleasant compilation of mythological metamorphosis .

As the metamorphosis is more limited than the apologue in the choice of its characters, it is also much more limited in its utility; but it has many charms that are particular to the form: it can, when wanted, elevate itself to the sublimity of an epic poem, and descend to the simplicity of an apologue. Daring icons, effulgent descriptions are not foreign to it; it even always finishes with a faithful depiction of the circumstances that produced the changing in nature.

To give to the metamorphosis a fraction of a fable’s usefulness, one of our moderns thinks that we could see in all the transformations a fair rapport of equity, meaning that the transformation was always the reward of a virtue, or the punishment of a crime. He believes that the observation of this rule would not alter the charms of the metamorphosis , and that it would offer the advantage of being instructive. This is nonetheless true: Ovid put it to use in his charming metamorphosis of Philemon and Baucis, and in the one of the cruel Lycaon, despot of Arcadia.