Apuleius was born in madauros, a colonia in numidia on the north african coast bordering gaetulia, and he described himself as halfnumidian halfgaetulian. The master had a son from a first wife and a son from a second wife. In the metamorphoses of apuleius, also known as the golden ass, we have the only latin novel which survives entire. 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. His vocabulary and notes offer even a high school latin student the ability to read apuleius in the original without hesitation or apprehension. Apuleius the metamorphoses book 1 annotated edition by james s. Her translation of and commentary on apuleius, metamorphoses.
Ruebel has created a most useful edition of metamorphoses book i. Apuleius metamorphoses or the golden ass, our only complete latin novel, tells the story of. The metamorphoses the golden ass of apuleius born c. 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. His curiosity about magic gets him changed into a donkey. 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. 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. The internet classics archive metamorphoses by ovid.
Feb 22, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. All these works have been published in russian translation 1959. Anxious as ever to investigate, with all my excessive eagerness, the rare and marvellous, and knowing that there i was in the heart of thessaly, the home of those magic arts whose powerful spells are praised throughout the world, and remembering that my dear friend. Apuleiuss golden ass is a unique, entertaining, and thoroughly readable latin novelthe only work of fiction in latin to have survived from antiquity. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the golden ass. Lucius is discovered to be an extraordinary donkey, but his true story is not yet known. 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. A comparison of ovid and apuleius as storytellers jstor. Read download the metamorphosis of apuleius pdf pdf. Book viii reveals the story of charite, a girl who had suffered at the hands of the robbers. Sep 03, 2016 the golden ass the metamorphoses lucius apuleius late second century bce. For the mixed nature of apuleius audience, see bradley, apuleius and carthage. 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.
After many adventures he is finally saved by the goddess isis, whose follower he becomes. Summary of the metamorphoses the spectacles of apuleius. The golden ass the metamorphoses lucius apuleius late second century bce. 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. Apuleius s golden ass is a unique, entertaining, and thoroughly readable latin novelthe only work of fiction in latin to have survived from antiquity. The golden ass edition 1 by apuleius 9780253200365. Apuleius th e golden ass apuleius th e golden ass, also known as metamorphoses, the larger narrative in which the story of cuptid and psyche is embedded, is an adaptation of a lost greek text with the title metamorphoses. He studied platonism in athens, travelled to italy, asia minor, and egypt, and was an initiate in several cults. 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. Religion and narrative in the metamorphoses of apuleius. Apuleius madaurensis metamorphoses, book iv, 127 1977, boumas boekhius in latin libraries near you.
The golden ass study guide contains a biography of apuleius, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Jan 07, 2014 metamorphosis or the golden ass by lucius apuleius c. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from madaurus, the hometown of apuleius himself. Institutional vendors free ebook using primary sources the littman. Lucius wants the sensations of a bird, but by pharmaceutical accident becomes an ass. Liverpool university press is the uks third oldest university press, with a distinguished history of publishing exceptional research since 1899 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 extant works are the novel metamorphoses in xi books also known as the golden ass, defense, or a discourse on magic, and florida, a collection of excerpts from speeches and rhetorical declamations. 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. The question of whether book 11 of apuleius metamorphoses is a sincere religious evocation or a satirical parody continues to animate discussion among scholars.
Metamorphosis or the golden ass by lucius apuleius c. The life of lucius apuleius briefly described lucius apuleius african, an excellent follower of plato his sect, born in madaura, a countrey sometime inhabited by the romans, and under the jurisdiction of syphax, scituate and lying on the borders of numidia and getulia, whereby he calleth himself half a numidian and half a getulian. The golden ass or metamorphoses was written by apuleius ca. It tells the story of the hero lucius, whose curiosity and fascination for sex and magic results in his transformation into an ass. Apulei metamorphoseon libri 11 1960, in aedibus paraviae. Augustine as the golden ass, is the oldest novel written in latin to survive in its entirety.
His most famous work is the golden ass, from which the story of cupid and psyche is taken. The mellon foundation provided support for entering this text. A new complete downloadable english translation of the roman novel. Id like to string together various tales in the milesian style, and charm your kindly ear with seductive murmurs, so long as youre ready to be amazed at human forms and fortunes changed radically and then restored in turn in mutual exchange, and dont object to reading egyptian papyri, inscribed by a sly reed from the nile.
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. I thought only cats were supposed to have nine lives, but this donkey has at least that many. Ovid, metamorphoses 11 theoi classical texts library. Metamorphoses the golden ass, vol 2, books 711 by apuleius. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The golden ass metamorphosis or the golden ass by lucius. This extraordinary collection of some 250 greek and roman myths and folk tales has always been a popular favorite, and has decisively shaped western art and literature from the moment it was completed in a.
Originally written by lucius of patrae, this translation by robert graves highlights the ribald humor and. Originally written by lucius of patrae, this translation by robert graves highlights the ribald humor and vivid sense of adventure present in the original. It was of great benefit to read books 16 of apuleius in the magnificent translation of j. A detailed introduction covers the prescribed text to be read in english, placing the work in its. Approaches to magic in apuleius metamorphoses trends in classics supplementary volumes volume 2. As soon as darkness had dispersed and the rising sun brought daylight, i emerged from sleep and bed. Latin text, with facing translation, substantial introduction and. The golden ass the metamorphoses of apuleiuslucius. 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.
Book ix the mill, the tale of arete and philesitherus. 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. Bibliography includes bibliographical references pages 567607 and indexes. Apuleius article about apuleius by the free dictionary. Please note that, in spite of my updating, this is still an old translation. 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. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of metamorphoses and what it means. 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.
The second wife fell in love with the first son, now a handsome youth. Apuleius enchanting story has inspired generations of writers such as boccaccio, shakespeare, cervantes and keats with its dazzling combination of allegory, satire, bawdiness and sheer exuberance, and the golden ass remains the most continuously and accessibly amusing book to have survived from classical antiquity. Metamorphoses by ovid, part of the internet classics archive. The metamorphoses of apuleius has intrigued and perplexed scholars throughout the ages. Apuleius metamorphoses and jewishchristian literature. Alcyone, his wife, didnt want him to go because she was afraid for his safety. Characterisation in apuleius metamorphoses cambridge scholars. Book iii on trial, lucius transformed book iv the robbers, the tale of cupid and psyche.
Apuleius the golden ass penguin classics internet archive. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. 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. 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. Book viii the tale of thrasyllus and charite, the eunuchs. 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. Of the three 19th century english translations of apul. He was a numidian who lived under the roman empire and was from madauros now mdaourouch, algeria. Bradley points out that the theater in carthage apuleius describes in. Book 11 a new complete downloadable english translation with comprehensive index, and other poetry translations including baudelaire, chinese, european. 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 golden ass books 1011 summary and analysis gradesaver. The golden ass, being the metamorphoses of lucius apuleius. The golden ass or metamorphoses audiobook by apuleius. 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. Occasionally i have added to the translation where adlington has omitted certain passages. Many comments have been posted about metamorphoses. After daedalion was turned to a hawk, ceyx departed to visit the oracle of apollo.
His extant works are the novel metamorphoses in xi books also known as the golden ass, defense, or a discourse on magic. This new edition presents the latin text with a modern translation, substantial. 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. Get a detailed summary and analysis of every chapter in the book from. Instantly i was freed from sleep and leapt up, bathed in sweat, with feelings of fear and joy.
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