Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass), I: Books 1-6 (Loeb Classical Library) (Hardcover)

~ Apuleius (Author), J. Arthur Hanson (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hanson here provides for the first time a modern, readable and accurate English translation of the Metamorphoses. (Classical Review )

Product Description

In the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, also known as The Golden Ass, we have the only Latin novel which survives entire. It is truly enchanting: a delightful romance combining realism and magic.

The hero, Lucius, eager to experience the sensations of a bird, resorts to witchcraft but by an unfortunate pharmaceutical error finds himself transformed into an ass. He knows he can revert to his own body by eating rose-petals, but these prove singularly elusive; and the bulk of the work describes his adventures as an animal. He also retails many stories that he overheard, the most charming being that of Cupid and Psyche (beginning, in true fairy-tale fashion, 'Erant in quadam civitate rex et regina'). Some of the stories are as indecent as they are witty, and two in the ninth book were deemed by Boccaccio worthy of inclusion in the Decameron. At last the goddess Isis takes pity on Lucius. In a surprising denouement, he is restored to human shape and, now spiritually regenerated, is initiated into her mysteries. The author's baroque Latin style nicely matches his fantastic narrative and is guaranteed to hold a reader's attention from beginning to end.

J. Arthur Hanson was at the time of his death in 1985 Giger Professor of Latin at Princeton University. His publications include Roman Theater-Temples.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Apuleius is in two volumes.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Loeb Classical Library; Revised edition (April 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674990498
• ISBN-13: 978-0674990494
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #753,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beware, August 12, 2006

By	C. MYERS "Loeb lover" (Purchase,, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a wonderful book. However, the presentation does not alert reader to the fact that this Loeb library edition is a two volume edition and book advertised is only the first volume - need for second voume to have a complete edition is not clear in book description by these sellers.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a prose classic, October 8, 2000

By	W. K. Miller "kenmiller32" (NC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This early prose work by a North African writer, _The Golden Ass_, is a classic. The protagonist is mistakenly turned into a donkey. Actually, the mind of a man is in the body of a donkey. While he has the body of a donkey, he has retained the mind of a human being. He overhears conversations and witnesses deeds that a human stranger would not be allowed to witness. It's a brutal, funny, and memorable tale, showing human nature very honestly, warts and all.

_The Golden Ass_ was written in Latin, and it may be the only surviving Latin novel of the period. The structure is episodic, as the protagonist gets into one predicament after another (as a donkey), much like Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels, or Odysseus in The Odyssey. I think it clearly influenced early successful novels such as Gulliver's Travels and Don Quixote.

The novel is bawdier than other works which survive from its day. The bawdy, ribald humor sets _The Golden Ass_ apart from other tales, and its place in the History of Literature makes it a classic.