Books with author . Apuleius

This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!

Apuleius’s The Golden Ass is famous not just for its amusing, allegorical content, but also because it has the distinction of being the only surviving Roman novel in its entirety. It was published in the 2nd century CE and has endured as a classic for two thousand years.Apuleius initially titled the work Metamorphoses, but it was renamed by editors. Scholars debate whether or not it was written in Rome or Carthage; currently most agree that it was written in the latter during the 160s or 170s CE.Its content regarding witchcraft has an important autobiographical element, as Apuleius was accused of witchcraft by his wife’s relatives; he was acquitted, mostly due to his stirring Apologia.Despite similarities with Apuleius's life, The Golden Ass is not considered a fully autobiographical novel. It came out of an earlier work of his entitled Lucius, or the Ass. Apuleius interwove new stories in this work and gave it the ending of the hero’s conversion to the cult of Isis. One of its stories, the tale of Cupid and Psyche, became perhaps even more famous than the novel itself. Scholar P.G. Walsh writes, “it is…clear that Apuleius has converted a Greek short story into an extended romance with a tripartite structure.”The novel is critically discussed in terms of its comic vs. serious and allegorical elements, and is successful in that it functions on multiple levels simultaneously.Writers and other cultural figures have been inspired by the work throughout the centuries. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote his own version in a poem, although it was uncompleted at his death. Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis (1915) features a character being transformed into a large insect, and C.S. Lewis took the story of Cupid and Psyche and told it from the perspective of one of psyche's ugly sisters in Till We Have Faces (1956). The work has also be staged and adapted into a comic book.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Preface And unto the Readers of this Book THAT I to thee some joyous jests may show in gentle gloze, And frankly feed thy bended eares with passing pleasant prose: So that thou daine in seemly sort this wanton booke to view, That is set out and garnisht fine, with written phrases new. I will declare how one by hap his humane figure lost, And how in brutish formed shape, his loathed life he tost. And how he was in course of time from such a state unfold, Who eftsoone turn'd to pristine shape his lot unlucky told.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The Golden Ass has the distinction of being the only novel from Classical Rome to have survived completely to the modern day. This classic translation by William Adlington preserves the original spirit of the text, which is filled with adventurous whimsy. The protagonist, Lucius, has an obsession with magic and wishes above all else to perform and demonstrate his abilities. However one day, during an attempt to turn himself into a bird, Lucius instead turns himself into an ass, or donkey. After this transformation Lucius must journey from place to place, seeking to reverse his fate. What follows are a series of adventures wherein fellow characters, and the ensuing escapades and misfortunes, must be endured by Lucius in spite of his animal form. Facing accusations of murder, almost being cooked for his meat, finding himself under the ownership of a Roman Legionary and meeting the Goddess Isis are just a few of the events that transpire around Lucius. Variously attributed with the status of comic novel, coming of age story, and episodic adventure book, The Golden Ass remains an entertaining read. Whether the reader is a student of classics or early literature, or simply desires a good novel of historical import, the text is worthy of reading.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.