This book presents a thorough reexamination of apuleius platonic philosophy, encompassing both his philosophical and literary works. Please note that, in spite of my updating, this is still an old translation. The metamorphoses the golden ass of apuleius born c. The apologia and florida of apuleius of madaura oxford. 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 metamorphoses by apuleius nook book ebook barnes. Book 11 a new complete downloadable english translation with comprehensive index, and other poetry translations including baudelaire, chinese, european.
Nancy shumate is associate professor of classical languages and literatures, smith college. The metamorphoses, or the golden ass, is the only ancient roman novel to survive in its entirety. A new complete downloadable english translation of the roman novel. Initiations and mysteries in apuleius metamorphoses. Metamorphoses the golden ass, volume i apuleius, j. The role of emotions in the metamorphoses of apuleius is more important than. Lucius adheres to her command and at her procession he is transformed to human form. 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. Religion and narrative in the metamorphoses of apuleius.
The texts in this book were meant to complement bcs other book of metamorphoses book i. Stephen nimis offers an intelligent and readable introduction to apuleius world and to the literary tradition which underlies apuleius. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Purser, the story of cupid and psyche as related by apuleius copious introduction, text, annotations, london 1910 repr.
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. Read the fulltext online edition of the metamorphosis of apuleius. Holding the carving knife in a murderous grip, she uncovered the lamp. Project muse an interpretation of apuleius metamorphoses. Cupid and psyche, beauty and the beast, king kong 2002. 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. This book is the 751st greatest fiction book of all time as determined by. 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. Lucius apuleius roman philosopher and scholar britannica. Full text of apuleius the golden ass penguin classics see other formats.
This book contains selections from the novel and is aimed at students moving on to genuine, unsimplified latin prose after. The restrictions of the reader series of books from bolchazycarducci meant many choice but not extended passages from the metamorphoses. The plot revolves around the protagonists curiosity curiositas and insatiable. Orpheus protects himself by charming the rocks with his songs.
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 work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Full text of apuleius the golden ass penguin classics. Stephen nimis offers an intelligent and readable introduction to.
Feb 22, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. A detailed introduction covers the prescribed text to be read in english, placing the work in its. The work, called metamorphoses by its author, narrates the adventures of a young man changed by magic into an ass. The works of apuleius, comprising the metamorphoses, or golden ass, the god of socrates, the florida, and his defence, or a discourse on magic. Psyche was not naturally either very strong or very brave, but the cruel power of fate made a virago of her. Initiations and mysteries in apuleius metamorphoses sarolta a. The hardcover of the metamorphoses the golden ass, volume ii.
His vocabulary and notes offer even a high school latin student the ability to read apuleius in the original without hesitation or apprehension. An online book about this author is available, as is a wikipedia article apuleius. Ruebel has created a most useful edition of metamorphoses book i. The transformations of lucius apuleius, and the rites of isis. Surrounded by the silent mysteries of dark night, i realised that the supreme goddess now exercised the fullness of her power.
The apology latin and english, with commentary, trans. An unusually diverse and original piece of prose, it is by turns funny, dramatic, touching, erotic, and exciting. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from madaurus, the hometown of apuleius himself. Metamorphoses the golden ass, volume ii apuleius, j. 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 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.
Summary of the metamorphoses the spectacles of apuleius. Apuleius has 116 books on goodreads with 30773 ratings. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Occasionally i have added to the translation where adlington has omitted certain passages. To which are added, a metrical version of cupid and psyche, and mrs. He also published a monograph on aulus gellius gellius the satirist. Lewis the horse and his boy through a casestudy of the asinine transformations of apuleius protagonist, lucius, and lewis antagonist, prince rabadash. It contributes both to the study of the subtle relationship between literature and platonic philosophy and to the cultural history of invisibility in classical. Lucius wants the sensations of a bird, but by pharmaceutical accident becomes an ass.
Wytse keulen currently teaches latin at the university of rostock. Metamorphoses i apuleius of madauros metamorphoses book i 1. Introduction foreword, book one and apuleius metamorphoses, by stephen nimis latin text based on r. As well as being genuinely interesting and great fun to read, the metamorphoses is of. 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. Apuleius, metamorphoses the golden ass, volume i loeb. I am attempting in this paper to show how readily the concepts and language of the final book of the metamorphoses reflect the spiritual experiences of some of apuleius nearcontemporaries and indeed, easily fall in with, and are parallel to, those of early christian literature. A particularly strong point of the book is its continuous attention to the overall composition of the novel and apuleius literary qualities, notably his narratological techniques. 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. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of metamorphoses and what it means. Transformation as disease, reincorporation as cure.
This book argues that invisibility is one of the central motifs in the metamorphoses and, in the process, presents a new interpretation of apuleius novel as a visionary, esoteric text. 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. The golden ass or, the metamorphoses holds a unique place in world literature as the only complete latin novel to survive from antiquity. Nancy shumate in her book crisis and conversion in apuleius metamorphoses 1996 deals primarily with texts written after often well after the time of apuleius. In the metamorphoses of apuleiusthe golden ass, we have the only latin novel which survives entire. An interpretation of apuleius metamorphoses ben edwin perry when macrobius 1 expresses surprise that apuleius, the professed student of plato, should have stooped to the writing of fiction, he voices thereby not only the ancient reaction toward such a performance on the part of a selfrespecting rhetor, but likewise that of the modern. 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 was a numidian berber and lived under the roman empire. Bibliography includes bibliographical references pages 567607 and indexes. 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 letter since each passage. His curiosity about magic gets him changed into a donkey. The bulk of the novel recounts his adventures as an animal, but lucius also recounts many stories. 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. He was a poet, philosopher, and rhetorician from whom numerous works survive some of doubtful authenticity. A new english translation of the transformations of lucius apuleius, and the rites of isis. But 1 i would like to tie together different sorts of tales for you in that milesian style of yours, 2 and to caress your ears into approval with a pretty whisper, if only you will not begrudge looking at egyptian papyrus inscribed with the sharpness of a reed from the nile, 3 so that you may be amazed at mens. Lucius apuleius, platonic philosopher, rhetorician, and author remembered for the golden ass, a prose narrative that proved influential long after his death. Meanwhile psyche wandered day and night, restlessly seeking her husband, eager if she could not mollify his anger with a wifes caresses, at least to appease him with a devotees prayers. Apuleius metamorphoses or the golden ass, our only complete latin novel, tells the story of lucius, a young man turned into a donkey by. 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. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from madaurus, in ancient algeria, the hometown of apuleius himself. The goal of this paper is to discuss the concept of initiation ritual in relation to apuleius.
But how can we be full of the book that has no plot. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Metamorphoses the golden ass, vol 2, books 711 by apuleius. Summing up the plot of ovids metamorphoses is easy. 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. 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. In the metamorphoses of apuleius, also known as the golden ass, we have the only latin novel which survives entire. 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.
Book 1 exhibits the spontaneity and ebullience of apuleius latin as well as his ability to engage the reader with a lively story. 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. Orpheuss shade descends to the underworld, where he joins eurydice. His commentary on apuleius metamorphoses book i groningen commentaries on apuleius appeared in 2007. Lucius awakes and purifies himself in the sea, praying to the goddesses for help. But the women drown out his music and tear his body apart. The mellon foundation provided support for entering this text. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses cambridge scholars. Metamorphoses the golden ass, volume ii, books 711 loeb classical library no. 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 undergraduate level. Thus students can not merely improve their latin in a pleasant way, but also appreciate the metamorphoses as a work of literature.
The metamorphosis or golden ass and philosophical works of apuleius 1992. 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. Ancient mystery religions the book of isis, metamorphoses. This page contains details about the fiction book the golden ass metamorphoses. Read the golden ass metamorphoses by apuleius available from rakuten kobo. This book examines the comic and philosophical aspects of apuleius metamorphoses, the ancient roman novel also known as the golden ass.
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