The Golden Ass (The Metamorphoses of Apuleius)

This carefully crafted ebook: "The Golden Ass (The Metamorphoses of Apuleius)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Apuleius (c. 125-c. 180) was a student of Platonist philosophy and Latin prose writer who produced the novel "Metamorphoses", more popularly known as "The Golden Ass". This work is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. Adapted from an earlier Greek story, "The Golden Ass" tells of the adventures of Lucius, a young man who is obsessed with magic. In attempting to perform a spell, Lucius inadvertently transforms himself into an ass. His long and arduous journey is ornately illustrated by Apuleius' witty, imaginative, and often explicit language, in a series of subplots that carry the reader through to Lucius' salvation by the goddess Isis. These include the stories of Cupid and Psyche, Aristomenes, Thelyphron and others. The novel reflects Apuleius' own fascination with magic and the occult, and although comical at times, contains very serious messages about impiety towards the gods, and the risks of tampering with the supernatural.

Garry Wills, New York Review of Books (Garry Wills 2011-03-15)

"Robert Fagles, shortly before his death, set the bar very high for translating the Aeneid. Yet already the scholar-poet Sarah Ruden has soared over the bar. . . . The translation is alive in every part. . . .This is the first translation since Dryden's that can be read as a great English poem in itself."

From the Back Cover

One man’s obsession with witchcraft leads to a surprising transformation and a series of unfortunate events. The Golden Ass by Apuleius features the misadventures of an aspiring magician, who’s accidentally turned into a donkey. His attempts to reverse the spell seem futile as he is constantly thwarted by outside forces.

About the Author

Apuleius (124 – AD 170), also credited as Apuleius of Madaurensis was a prose writer and philosopher formally educated at Carthage, Athens and Rome. He studied the works of Plato as well as religion, becoming inundated with several cults. He was fascinated by the mystical arts, which led to public criticism and a charge of sorcery. Apuleius was eventually acquitted but his interest in magic continued to influence his writing. His most notable achievement is the novel, The Golden Ass, also known as the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which highlights the dangers of spells and the supernatural.

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