This book examines the comic and philosophical aspects of apuleius metamorphoses, the ancient roman novel also known as the golden ass. Occasionally i have added to the translation where adlington has omitted certain passages. This is a picaresque occult novel, written in beautiful latin, which tells the sometimes bawdy, sometimes spinechilling, sometimes religiouslymoving story of lucius, a second. The metamorphoses of apuleius has intrigued and perplexed scholars throughout the ages. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Books 110 and book 11, a continuity which earlier apuleian criticism often doubted.
Psyche was a woman born of beauty comparable only to venus herself. His curiosity about magic gets him changed into a donkey. Gwyn griffiths etudes preliminaires aux religions orientales dans lempire hardcover december 1, 1975. Interpreting the anteludia apuleius, metamorphoses 11. Apuleius metamorphoses and jewishchristian literature. Oct 05, 2015 this is the first volume dedicated to the topic of characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses, the latin novel from the second century ce. This page contains details about the fiction book the golden ass metamorphoses. Read the golden ass metamorphoses by apuleius available from rakuten kobo. Initiations and mysteries in apuleius metamorphoses. Lucius is discovered to be an extraordinary donkey, but his true story is not yet known. A seriocomic interpretation of apuleius, metamorphoses 11. 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.
Apuleius madaurensis metamorphoses, book xi, the isis book text, introduction and commentary. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Summary of the metamorphoses the spectacles of apuleius. The metamorphoses the golden ass of apuleius born c. After many adventures he is finally saved by the goddess isis, whose follower he becomes. Metamorphoses the golden ass, volume ii apuleius, j. Nancy shumate is associate professor of classical languages and literatures, smith college. The master had a son from a first wife and a son from a second wife. Religion and narrative in the metamorphoses of apuleius. His commentary on apuleius metamorphoses book i groningen. Reviewed by joseph farrell, university of pennsylvania. The golden ass books 1011 summary and analysis gradesaver. To which are added, a metrical version of cupid and psyche, and, mrs. Beroaldos commentaries on book 11 of apuleius metamorphoses article pdf available december 2011 with 85 reads how we measure reads.
He also published a monograph on aulus gellius gellius the satirist. Apuleius the metamorphoses book 1 annotated edition by james s. Crisis and conversion in apuleius metamorphoses will be of interest to classicists and scholars of silver latin and of the increasingly popular ancient novel, as well as to students of psychology and the sociology of religious experience. The name must already have been current in augustines day and, rightly or wrongly, attributed to apuleius despite metamorphoses in the manuscripts. Epona salvatrix isis and the horse goddess in apuleius. With parallels in the tradition of the greek novel, this work is often considered the first novel, and inspired many later episodic romances such as don quixote and gullivers travels. Book viii reveals the story of charite, a girl who had suffered at the hands of the robbers. Metamorphoses the golden ass, volume ii, books 7 11 loeb classical library no. 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. Aug 04, 2014 each of the 11 books are selfcontained chapters of about 20 pages with a spoilery summary of whats to come at the beginning, so it was easy to dip in and out. In the novel, a young man named lucius tells how he accidentally turns into a donkey and then describes how he regains human form with the help of the. There, vulcan, the god of fire and technology, had created a picture of the world through metalworking. Bibliography includes bibliographical references pages 567607 and indexes. Book 1 exhibits the spontaneity and ebullience of apuleius latin as well as his ability to engage the reader with a lively story.
The mellon foundation provided support for entering this text. 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 bulk of the novel recounts his adventures as an animal, but lucius also recounts many stories he overhears, including that of cupid and psyche. The final book of the metamorphoses, in my opinion, shares with new testament writings the hunger for spiritual renewal and a sense that change is in the air, that the time has come to take some drastic and even dangerous risks in order to avoid being drawn into the evils of the age save yourselves from this corrupt generation, acts 2. The question of whether book 11 of apuleius metamorphoses is a sincere religious. An old woman tells lucius the story of cupid and psyche books ivvi. Second, it is highly appropriate for lucius to see a representation of. In fact it undergoes its own metamorphosis into the religious joy gaudium which permeates book 11 and with which narrator and reader exit from the work gaudens, joyful, is the second last word. I wasnt particularly happy with the ending, in fact i skimmed and skipped around at that point. It was of great benefit to read books 16 of apuleius in the magnificent translation of j.
Apuleius metamorphoses or the golden ass, a masterpiece of latin literature from the second century ad, still captivates modern readers with its combination of asininity and mysticism. The second priest carried an altartop, that is, a source of help, its name auxilia derived from the. Ovid, metamorphoses 11 theoi classical texts library. B y book ix lucius has been passed around many times to various owners and is in bad shape from the abuse he has endured. Metamorphoses the golden ass, vol 2, books 711 by apuleius. Jan 01, 2002 in terms of macronarrative, most modern scholars are agreed against perry that the metamorphoses shows a conscious and consistent thematic unity and that book 11 is organically linked to books 110, even if they disagree about the nature of the unifying thread. Metamorphoses book 11, translated by brookes more death of orpheus 1 while with his songs, orpheus, the bard of thrace, allured the trees, the savage animals, and even the insensate rocks, to follow him. Apuleius was born in madauros, a colonia in numidia on the north african coast bordering gaetulia, and he described himself as halfnumidian halfgaetulian. This paper argues that apuleius in several passages of the metamorphoses seems to reflect or react to charges made in the second century against christians and jews, while in the isis book book 11 the author both borrows from and corrects the details provided by jewishchristian apocalyptic literature as a model for the encounter of his protagonist with a divine figure. Van malmaeders book 2 follows the established format.
A detailed introduction covers the prescribed text to be read in english, placing the work in its roman literary context. Cultural identity, the volume offers a new, detailed interpretation of the isis book in the easytouse form of a fullyfledged commentary. It is only after these religious initiations that lucius reentered society. Apuleius metamorphoses or golden ass written in a highly ornate and archaizing latin probably in the 160s or so, apuleius prose novel, the metamorphoses known to saint augustine as the golden ass, tells the story of lucius, a romannamed greek youth of means and prominent family. Together with alessandro barchiesi he will author and edit a fourvolume complete commentary on apuleius novel for the italian publisher vallamondadori. The isis episode in apuleius w hen in the eleventh book of his metamorphoses apuleius turns from the knavery and immorality, the earthiness and magic of the first ten books, to what seems an honest and pious, noble and inspired portrayal of a religious experience, he confuses his critics, who follow one of two main routes in an effort to bridge. The intervention of the goddess isis into the novel in response to lucius appeal for help in book 11 appears to be apuleius special addition to his source, since there is no trace of it in pseudolucians epitome, lucius or the ass, which like apuleius novel was based on the lost metamorphoses of the mysterious lucius of patras. Read less than it deserves at the undergraduate level, apuleius metamorphoses tells the story of lucius the assman and his encounters with sex, magic, robbers, storytellers, slaves, and finally the goddess. 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. His commentary on apuleius metamorphoses book i groningen commentaries on apuleius appeared in 2007. She presented a monograph on apuleius isis book 2000 and is a member of the research group that works on a commentary on book 11.
Fiction, classical mythology, metamorphosis, latin fiction, translations into english, translations into italian, translations into spanish, translations into french, isis egyptian deity, metamorphosis in literature, latin literature, translations into russian, mythology, classical, in literature, translations into. Metamorphoses 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, horri. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Apuleius madaurensis metamorphoses, book xi, the isis book. This is the endorsed publication from ocr and bloomsbury for the latin alevel group 2 prescription of apuleius metamorphoses v, giving full latin text, commentary and vocabulary for sections 11 24. He was a numidian who lived under the roman empire and was from madauros now mdaourouch, algeria. The tales that comprise the novel, long known for their bawdiness and wit, describe the adventures of lucius, a man who is transformed into an ass. The soldier takes lucius, outfits him in military adornments, and eventually leaves him with a slave so he could report to his superior lucius tells of a crime committed at the house of the slaves master. The second and third initiations continue to demonstrate lucius defer. In what way is book 11 connected to the preceding books.
With an introduction, in which the meaning of the fable is unfolded. Until book xi all of the acts experienced by lucius are that of him in the form of an ass. The metamorphoses of lucius by lucius apuleius, better known as the golden ass, is the only roman novel to survive today. The new groningen commentary on book 2 of apuleius golden ass gca 2 by danielle van malmaeder mm appears only a year after maaike zimmermans excellent groningen commentary on book 10, and will itself be followed shortly by a grandscale groningen commentary on books 4. The golden ass books summary and analysis gradesaver. Wytse keulen currently teaches latin at the university of rostock. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of metamorphoses and what it means. Like the golden rule or golden mean, this donkey was very special. Lucius is told the tale of the robbers and demochares. 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 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. Carl schlam has for twentyfive years been one of our foremost students of apuleius. Madaurus was the same colonia where augustine of hippo later received part of his early education, and, though located well away from the romanized coast, is today the site of some pristine roman ruins. Read download the metamorphosis of apuleius pdf pdf. In the eleventh and last book of apuleius metamorphoses, the novels. The famous first book of the novel introduces the protagonists character, his interest in magic and his gullibility, but also. Being the metamorphoses of lucius apuleius, books 7 11 apuleius on. An intermediate latin reader article pdf available in mouseion journal of the classical association of canada 101. A secondtime reader will find it hard to miss how photis prefigures isis when she. The golden ass, prose narrative of the 2nd century ce by lucius apuleius, who called it metamorphoses in all probability apuleius used material from a lost metamorphoses by lucius of patrae, which is cited by some as the source for an extant greek work on a similar theme, the brief lucius, or the ass attributed to the greek rhetorician lucian. Of course, each of the myths ovid tells has its own story, but, since there are over 200 of them, we cant really touch on them all here.
As well as being genuinely interesting and great fun to read, the metamorphoses is of. The book of isis is one of the many classical testimonies for the concept of a supreme, universal, pantheist female deity, worshipped and revered even by the other gods. Give a synposis that includes reference to section numbers. 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. An annotated edition of book 1 of apuleius novel metamorphoses, this text is suitable for a students first unadapted author, or in combination with other readings at the intermediate level. Stephen harrison is professor of latin literature at the university of oxford and fellow and tutor in classics at corpus christi college. The isis book metamorphoses, book xi leiden 1975, 89. The plot revolves around the protagonists curiosity curiositas and insatiable. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from madaurus, the hometown of apuleius himself.
For a practicing neoplatonist, or a kin to ancient folk by heart and spirit this books conveys many trophies with plots that could easily be turned into stanzas of quotable wisdomliterature. A reinterpretation of satire in apuleius, metamorphoses 11. The following pages suggest that we might read or more specifically, a second century audience would have read lucius encounter immediately following his transformation at. Being the metamorphoses of lucius apuleius, books 7 11. With an international team of apuleian scholars, he prepares a new commentary on the isis book. The meaning and impact of book 11 of the golden ass discussion read book 11 of the golden ass and make an attempt at answering the following questions. From the cruel mockery of the festival of laughter to the sweet tale of cupid and psyche, from adventures that question humananimal boundaries to the profoundly spiritual conclusion. The golden ass, being the metamorphoses of lucius apuleius. Full text of apuleius the golden ass penguin classics. He may have been named lucius apuleius, but the only evidence we have of the lucius is the name of the narrator of his most famous work, the metamorphoses.
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. In book 11 of apuleius novel metamorphoses the protagonist, lucius, transformed into an ass due to misusage of witchcraft encounters isis through a dream while sleeping at a remote beach in central greece. He studied platonism in athens, travelled to italy, asia minor, and egypt, and was an initiate in several cults or. Ciconian matrons, with their raving breasts concealed in skins of forest animals, from the summit of a hill observed him there, attuning love songs to a sounding harp.
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. The thing is, just because the metamorphoses doesnt have a recognizable storyline doesnt mean it isnt jampacked with mythological goodies. Please note that, in spite of my updating, this is still an old translation. This is the first volume dedicated to the topic of characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses, the latin novel from the second century ce. Instantly i was freed from sleep and leapt up, bathed in sweat, with feelings of fear and joy. The metamorphoses of apuleius, which augustine of hippo referred to as the golden ass. Apuleius madaurensis metamorphoses, book xi, the isis. It was undoubtedly because augustine was so well known in medieval europe that the golden ass prevailed. About the golden ass the golden ass summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis books books 45 books 67 books 89 books 10 11 symbols, allegory and motifs metaphors and similes irony imagery isis literary elements related links essay questions quiz 1 quiz 2 quiz 3 quiz 4 citations. 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.