Apuleius, Metamorphoses [The Golden Ass]

Sonia Sabnis (Reed College)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 170

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Apuleius’ Metamorphoses (also known as the Golden Ass, Latin Asinus Aureus) is the single complete work of extended Latin prose fiction to survive from antiquity, comparable only to the Satyrica of Petronius, which dates about a century earlier, but is incomplete. Precise dating of the Metamorphoses is uncertain; many scholars think it was probably written after Apuleius’ trial in the 160s or 170s. The Metamorphoses is frequently studied and grouped with the Greek novels, including a Greek version of the same story known as the Onos [the Ass]. This short work is transmitted with the works of Apuleius’ contemporary, Lucian, but authorship is uncertain; most scholars agree that …

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2629 words

Citation: Sabnis, Sonia. "Metamorphoses". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 July 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26509, accessed 28 April 2024.]

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