Apuleius metamorphoses or the golden ass, our only complete latin novel, tells the story of lucius, a young man turned into a donkey by magic because of his unfettered curiosity. Ruebel has created a most useful edition of metamorphoses book i. Bibliography includes bibliographical references pages 567607 and indexes. The story of ceyx and alcyone is one of the most tender and moving tales in the metamorphoses. About the first watch of the night i awoke in sudden 1 fright and saw, just emerging from the waves of the sea, the full circle of the moon glistening with extraordinary brilliance. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author.
The question of whether book 11 of apuleius metamorphoses is a sincere religious evocation or a satirical parody continues to animate discussion. These and many other anomalies are due mainly to the interpolation of new and poorly assimilated material into the framework of a greek original that was itself undoubtedly. The golden ass study guide contains a biography of apuleius, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary. When dawn came and the ceremony was complete, i emerged wearing twelve robes as a sign of consecration, sacred dress indeed though nothing stops me from speaking of it, since a host of people were there and saw me. Contributors x commentary on apuleius metamorphoses iv. Composed in the second century, this picaresque work tells the tale of lucius, a man whose curiosity in magic and indulgence of sexual pleasures leads him to accidently transform himself into an ass.
Lucius awakes and purifies himself in the sea, praying to the goddesses for help. She comes to him and tells him how he can return to human form. Metamorphoses is a latin narrative poem by ovid that was first published in 8 ad. Literature and identity in the golden ass of apuleius. The isisbook brill, 2015 jointly with the seven other members. A reinterpretation of satire in apuleius, metamorphoses 11. Via new window links at the start of each book, you may now browse klines rendering alongside ehwalds latin edition ca. Holding the carving knife in a murderous grip, she uncovered the lamp. Summary of the metamorphoses the spectacles of apuleius. The golden ass books 1011 summary and analysis gradesaver. This is the first volume dedicated to the topic of characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses, the latin novel from the second century ce. Apuleius novel metamorphoses has always been open to various and often contradictory interpretations by scholars. After many adventures he is finally saved by the goddess isis, whose follower he becomes. Psyche was not naturally either very strong or very brave, but the cruel power of fate made a virago of her.
The isisbook with the seven other members of the groningen apuleius group 2015. Barchiesi he will author and edit a fourvolume complete commentary on. But the psyche story and the eleventh book go beyond this. Metamorphoses, the, works of apuleius, comprising the metamorphoses, or golden ass, the god of socrates, the florida, and his defence, or a discourse of magic. The bulk of the reader consists of 75 passages enough for a semesters worth of readings, each denoted by the book number from apuleius metamorphoses and then a. The reader of apuleius metamorphoses is puzzled at times by the great variety of diverse incidents, and by the apparent absence, in many cases, of any clear or logical connection between them. The cultural and liter ary contexts to which i refer in the analysis of these passages are. An old woman tells lucius the story of cupid and psyche books ivvi. Check this post out for a summary of book xi of the golden ass. If youre looking for a free download links of a companion to the prologue to apuleius metamorphoses pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. Read book 11 of the golden ass and make an attempt at answering the. Apuleius the golden ass, or metamorphoses, is the only latin novel to survive in its entirety. The metamorphoses of apuleius, which augustine of hippo referred to as the golden ass asinus aureus, is the only ancient roman novel in latin to survive in.
A companion to the prologue to apuleius metamorphoses pdf. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of metamorphoses and what it means. Summary using a transdisciplinary approach for a thorough assessment of the muchdebated religious ending of the metamorphoses, this new and detailed commentary on apuleius isis book will elucidate the narrative in its literary, religious, archaeological and cultural context. Orpheuss art succeeds brilliantly, as does pygmalions. As well as being genuinely interesting and great fun to read, the. Stephen nimis offers an intelligent and readable introduction to apuleius world and to the literary tradition which underlies apuleius. Metamorphoses the golden ass, vol 2, books 711 by apuleius. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the golden ass. One of the most discussed issues has been the novels division into two seemingly dissimilar parts the first ten books containing frivolous stories with comical elements and book xi also called the isisbook written in a more serious tone and considered. Chapter summary for apuleiuss the golden ass, book 11 summary. See a complete list of the characters in metamorphoses and indepth analyses of jupiter, juno, orpheus, apollo, and the narrator. Just as orpheus seeks to regain his woman through the use of song, pygmalion attempts to regain his love for women by fashioning an ideal one from ivory.
Lucius is told the tale of the robbers and demochares. The metamorphoses the golden ass of apuleius born c. His vocabulary and notes offer even a high school latin student the ability to read apuleius in the original without hesitation or apprehension. Hercules prevents the rape by shooting nessus with an arrow. The classical radio plays jointly with amanda wrigley oup, 20, and of a commentary on apuleius metamorphoses xi. The mellon foundation provided support for entering this text.
A latin sophist, this book studies one of the few extant latin novels from the roman empire, apuleius metamorphoses or golden ass. Apuleius, the golden ass based upon a translation by william adlington 1566 i have updated the spelling and idiom of the text, and have added chapter numbers. Lucius apuleius roman philosopher and scholar britannica. Please note that, in spite of my updating, this is still an old translation. The plot revolves around the protagonists curiosity curiositas and. The bulk of the novel recounts his adventures as an animal, but lucius also recounts many stories he overhears, including that of cupid and psyche. Lucius wants the sensations of a bird, but by pharmaceutical accident becomes an ass. A similar merger will occur toward the very end of the novel, in book 11. He was a numidian who lived under the roman empire and was from madauros now mdaourouch, algeria. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter.
Socrates had fallen in with a witch, who later killed him and frightened aristomenes. Occasionally i have added to the translation where adlington has omitted certain passages. Lucius falls asleep and when he wakes, offers a prayer to isis, the great goddess. Apuleius famous novel, the metamorphoses, tells the story of a man who was magically changed into an ass, and who had various humorous, sad, exciting, disturbing, erotic, horrific adventures before he regained his human form. I show how apuleius portrays lucius as an articulate, but ignorant ass in. There is certainly satire, but it, as mckay notes, it is closer to the mark to suggest that the book is a stare on a whole state of society, on the idea expressed by apuleiuss contemporary, aelius aristides, that the age of the antonines was a second golden age. The golden ass study guide contains a biography of apuleius, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. To which are added, a metrical version of cupid and. Characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses cambridge scholars. Surrounded by the silent mysteries of dark night, i realised that the supreme goddess now exercised the fullness of her power. Lucius adheres to her command and at her procession he is transformed to human form. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive. Achelous tells theseus about fighting with hercules over deianiras hand in marriage.
Initiations and mysteries in apuleius metamorphoses. What they fail to mention is that the versions with the full text are merely reprints of the original latinwhich you can find for free all over the internet, and they provide zero assistance for deciphering the text. The palace of the sun turns out to be made entirely of precious metals, and far superior to anything featured on mtvs cribs ovid tells us that what was most stupendously awesome, however, was the artwork on the doors. There, vulcan, the god of fire and technology, had created a picture of the world through metalworking.
Harrison shows that this work is one of remarkable literary complexity, playing off other classical forms, especially the related narrative form of the epic. Psyche was a woman born of beauty comparable only to venus herself. Apuleius, metamorphoses the golden ass, volume i loeb. Iris appears in a dream and tells him of how he will be saved and how he must dedicate his life to her service. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from madaurus, the hometown of apuleius himself. Even though it deals with suffering, the story s symmetry suggests balance and peace are possible even in the face of great loss. A seriocomic interpretation of apuleius, metamorphoses 11. Apuleius, metamorphoses book 1 bolchazycarducci 2001, isbn. The narrator jumps to the story of a centaur, nessus, who attempts to rape deianira. Metamorphoseon libri xi asinus aureus book by apulee. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Until book xi all of the acts experienced by lucius are that of him in the form of an ass. Chapter summary for apuleiuss the golden ass, book 1 summary. Full text of apuleius the golden ass penguin classics see other formats.
Griffiths, apuleius of madauros, the isisbook metamorphoses book xi, leiden 1975 other a. Full text of apuleius the golden ass penguin classics. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. In this book, orpheus fails and pygmalion succeeds.
On his way he meets a man named aristomenes, who tells him a story of socrates, a friend of his whom he encountered along the road. The golden ass, being the metamorphoses of lucius apuleius. The subject has not been ignored in recent scholarship on individual characters in the work, but the lack of an earlier general overview of the topic reflects the general history of scholarship on the metamorphoses. Achelous s attempts at persuasive speech are ineffective, and hercules breaks off achelous s horn.
He studied platonism in athens, travelled to italy, asia minor, and egypt, and was an initiate in several cults. The work, called metamorphoses by its author, narrates the adventures of a young man changed by magic into. The metamorphoses of apuleius, which augustine of hippo referred to as the golden ass asinus aureus, is the only ancient roman novel in latin to survive in its entirety the protagonist of the novel is called lucius. It is only after these religious initiations that lucius reentered society. A procession celebrating isis comes by, and lucius follows the instructions given him.