Summary of the metamorphoses the spectacles of apuleius. 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. Apuleius narrative of book 11 makes possible several ways of. Learn vocab apuleius book with free interactive flashcards. The golden ass the metamorphoses of apuleius is formatted for your ereader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Please note that, in spite of my updating, this is still an old translation. 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.
Lucius wants the sensations of a bird, but by pharmaceutical accident becomes an ass. Literature and identity in the golden ass of apuleius. I wasnt particularly happy with the ending, in fact i skimmed and skipped around at that point. 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. The question of whether book 11 of apuleius metamorphoses is a sincere religious evocation or a satirical parody continues to animate discussion among scholars. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. An intermediate latin reader article pdf available in mouseion journal of the classical association of canada 101. This book is the 751st greatest fiction book of all time as determined by. 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. 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.
Occasionally i have added to the translation where adlington has omitted certain passages. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Essays presented to ben hijmans at his 75th birthday pp. He was a numidian who lived under the roman empire and was from madauros now mdaourouch, algeria. Alcyone, his wife, didnt want him to go because she was afraid for his safety. 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. Apuleius was born in madauros, a colonia in numidia on the north african coast bordering gaetulia, and he described himself as halfnumidian halfgaetulian. The mellon foundation provided support for entering this text. His commentary on apuleius metamorphoses book i groningen commentaries on apuleius appeared in 2007. He studied platonism in athens, travelled to italy, asia minor, and egypt, and was an initiate in several cults or. Apuleius novel metamorphoses has always been open to various and often. The plot revolves around the protagonists curiosity curiositas and insatiable.
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. Full text of apuleius the golden ass penguin classics. 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. Benefits and moral development in apuleius metamorphoses. After daedalion was turned to a hawk, ceyx departed to visit the oracle of apollo. 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. In the metamorphoses of apuleiusthe golden ass, we have the only latin novel which survives entire. Choose from 500 different sets of vocab apuleius book flashcards on quizlet. Together with alessandro barchiesi he will author and edit a fourvolume complete commentary on apuleius novel for the italian publisher vallamondadori. Evil or unpleasant characters and situations outnumber the positive ones. Book 1 exhibits the spontaneity and ebullience of apuleius latin as well as his ability to engage the reader with a. Metamorphoses the golden ass, volume ii, books 7 11 loeb classical library no. The golden ass the metamorphoses of apuleius ebook. 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.
The question of whether book 11 of apuleius metamorphoses is a sincere religious evocation or a satirical parody continues to animate discussion. I show how apuleius portrays lucius as an articulate, but ignorant ass in order to. 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. Religion and narrative in the metamorphoses of apuleius. Some of the stories are as indecent as they are witty, and two in the ninth book were deemed by boccaccio worthy of inclusion in the decameron. It is only after these religious initiations that lucius reentered society. A seriocomic interpretation of apuleius, metamorphoses 11. The hero, lucius, eager to experience the sensations of a bird, resorts to. 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.
A reinterpretation of satire in apuleius, metamorphoses 11. This page contains details about the fiction book the golden ass metamorphoses. Initiations and mysteries in apuleius metamorphoses. Lucius is discovered to be an extraordinary donkey, but his true story is not yet known. This book presents a thorough reexamination of apuleius platonic philosophy, encompassing both his philosophical and literary works. Essays presented to ben hijmans at his 75th birthday, edd. As well as being genuinely interesting and great fun to read, the metamorphoses is of. The golden ass books 1011 summary and analysis gradesaver. It is commonly accepted that beauty and cosmic power of isis recalls th divinae 1. In the metamorphoses of apuleius, also known as the golden ass, we have the only latin novel which survives entire. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. He told her that long to our love seems every waiting hour, but by my fathers radiance i swear, if only the fates let me, ill return before the moon twice fills her silver orb book. This is the first volume dedicated to the topic of characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses, the latin novel from the second century ce.
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. 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. Featured audio all audio latest this just in grateful dead netlabels old time radio 78 rpms and cylinder recordings. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from madaurus, the hometown of apuleius himself. This work is the only latin novel to survive in its entirety. 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. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Linkpage citation the world of the metamorphoses 110 is not a pretty one, being full of treachery, robbery, exploitation, and cruelty. In crisis and conversion in apuleius metamorphoses nancy shumate takes a new and profitable approach. Moons, smoke, and mirrors in apuleius portrayal of. The golden ass, being the metamorphoses of lucius apuleius. For many years now, the metamorphoses of apuleius has garnered a remark. The metamorphoses of apuleius has intrigued and perplexed scholars throughout the ages.
The article investigates beroaldos approach to the theological themes of book 11 of apuleius metamorphoses focusing on his interpretation of the figure of isis, represented by apuleius as the. His curiosity about magic gets him changed into a donkey. 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. In view of the target readership lots of help is given in the notes at the start. 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. 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. Book viii reveals the story of charite, a girl who had suffered at the hands of the robbers. 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.
Apuleius wonderful latin novel metamorphoses, written in the second century c. Your points are fine, but miss the nature of the book. Get a detailed summary and analysis of every chapter in the book from. 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.
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. It was of great benefit to read books 16 of apuleius in the magnificent translation of j. The master had a son from a first wife and a son from a second wife. 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 thing is, just because the metamorphoses doesnt have a recognizable storyline doesnt mean it isnt jampacked with mythological goodies. After many adventures he is finally saved by the goddess isis, whose follower he becomes. Apuleius the metamorphoses book 1 annotated edition. As a latin teacher, i am very grateful that there is no translation because students. Bibliography includes bibliographical references pages 567607 and indexes.
In recent years some have attempted to understand the metamorphoses by applying contemporary critical theory to the work, without notable success. Characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses pierides studies in greek and latin. Read the golden ass metamorphoses by apuleius available from rakuten kobo. The metamorphoses the golden ass of apuleius born c. Essays presented to ben hijmans at his 75th birthday, ed. There, vulcan, the god of fire and technology, had created a picture of the world through metalworking. He also published a monograph on aulus gellius gellius the satirist. 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. Wytse keulen currently teaches latin at the university of rostock.