Work
The Golden Ass
Overview
The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as The Golden Ass (Latin: Asinus aureus), is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety.
The protagonist of the novel is Lucius. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from Madaurus, the hometown of Apuleius himself. The plot revolves around the protagonist's curiosity (curiositas) and insatiable desire to see and practice magic. While trying to perform a spell to transform into a bird, he is accidentally transformed into an ass. This leads to a long journey, literal and metaphorical, filled with inset tales. He finally finds salvation through the intervention of the goddess Isis, whose cult he joins.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Philosophers who discussed The Golden Ass
Related ideas
- Franz Kafka
- Folklore
- Ancient Greek
- Lucian
- Latin
- Apuleius
- Miguel de Cervantes
- Augustine of Hippo
- Niccolò Machiavelli
- Novel
- Peter Singer
- Western literature
- Plutarch
- Syntax
- Slavery
- Salvation
- Walter Pater
- Voltaire
- William Shakespeare
- The City of God
- Magic (supernatural)
- Ancient Rome
- Codex
- C. S. Lewis
Place in the tradition
Part of Niccolò Machiavelli.