Apuleius: The Golden Ass

[saliotthomas]

Lucius Apuleius Platonicus (c. AD 123/125-c. AD 180)
This is a little pearl of classic literature, "It is an imaginative, irreverent, and amusing work that relates the ludicrous adventures of one Lucius, who experiments in magic and is accidentally turned into an ass. In this guise he hears and sees many unusual things, until escaping from his predicament in a rather unexpected way. Within this frame story are found multiple digressions, the longest among them being the well-known tale of Cupid and Psyche."
It is truly funny,a bit in the line of the 1000 night(the good transaltions),Lucius the roman nobleman suffer the worst humiliations,and the outraged tone he use is a delight of every page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Ass

 

[Occlith]

I've been wanting to read this for some time. Who translated the version you read?

 

[saliotthomas]

The English version was a Penguin classic,I just "heard" that Robert Graves made a translation to.

 

[Robert]

The copy I read was translated by J. Arthur Hanson. It's the only place I remember seeing the whole of the Cupid & Psych story.

I like your summary, saliotthomas.

 

[saliotthomas]

I like your summary, saliotthomas.

Unfortunatly most of it it pasted from wikipedia,my English been fantasist,at best.

 

[Robert]

Unfortunatly most of it it pasted from wikipedia,my English been fantasist,at best.

That's fine, you do what you need to do. I'm just surprised that someone else has read this. I just finished it a couple of weeks ago.

 

[saliotthomas]

That's fine, you do what you need to do. I'm just surprised that someone else has read this. I just finished it a couple of weeks ago.

Did you like it?

 

[Robert]

Did you like it?

Yes! It was a fun read, and I have always enjoyed mythology. The copy I read was interesting because it was written in Latin on left side with the English translation on the right side. Too bad I don’t understand Latin.

 

[LoeMa]

I read this book for my studies and I liked it.
The reason I started reading it was this aspect of metamorphosis but I also enjoyed the story of Cupid & Psyche very much.

 

[Robert]

I read this book for my studies and I liked it.
The reason I started reading it was this aspect of metamorphosis but I also enjoyed the story of Cupid & Psyche very much.

I noticed that Metamorphosis was an alternate title, and I think it's more fitting of the story then The Golden Ass.

 

[saliotthomas]

I read this book for my studies and I liked it.
The reason I started reading it was this aspect of metamorphosis but I also enjoyed the story of Cupid & Psyche very much.

would you know of some other books about metamorphosis?There the obvious Kafka,that about the only on coming to mind!

 

[LoeMa]

Yes, Kafka is also the first name I have in mind, when I'm thinking about metamorphosis.

If I'm not mistaken in Ovid's Metamorphosis you can read the story about Proteus who was able to change/disguise in everyone else.

And maybe The Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco could be interesting.

That's all for the moment I can think of but I try to find out more.

 

[saliotthomas]

And maybe The Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco could be interesting.

.

That ring a bell,one of my school books.I shall try to find it,thanks

 

[KateGT]

Goodness! I have't read that book since I was a freshman at university and I still have the book somewhere... Perhaps sometime this summer I will re-read it.