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"From the way allegorical writing functions, and particularly from the interactions between the two poles of creation and reading, we can deduce a given relationship with the text as a place in which the subject can unfold. The present paper approaches the issue by an analysis of the means of interpretation in the Ovide Moralis? in verse (early fourteenth century): It places the text in the allegorical tradition, brings out the active force exerted by fiction on its audience, and (in the wake of M. R. Jung's studies) stresses the significance of metaphor in the translation of pagan myth into Christian parable. In harmony with biblical uses of the imaginary, metaphors facilitate a shift from ancient to Christian tradition. Ovide Moralis? was written by a preacher with a wide knowledge of doctrine; as such, it represents a rich starting point from which to explore the significance of a reader's profile in interpreting a text (Wolfgang Iser's theory)."