The Protean Ass: The Metamorphoses of Apuleius from Antiquity to the Renaissance
0
0
Author Description
The Protean Ass provides the most comprehensive account (in any language) of the reception of The Golden Ass (or Metamorphoses) of Apuleius, the only work of Latin prose fiction worthy of the name of 'novel' to survive intact from the ancient world. Apuleius' second-century account of the curious young man who is changed into a donkey following an affair with a witch's slave-girl, and undergoes a series of adventures (involving robbery, adultery, buggery, and bestiality) before a divine vision transforms him into a disciple of the goddess Isis, has delighted, perplexed, and inspired readers as diverse as St Augustine, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Sidney, Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton. Robert H. F. Carver traces readers' responses to the novel from the third to the seventeenth centuries in North Africa, Italy, France, Germany, and England
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the complex reception history of Apuleius's 'The Golden Ass' to determine how its interpretation shifted from antiquity through the Renaissance. Robert H. F. Carver, a scholar of classical reception, utilizes a vast array of primary source documents and literary analysis to map the influence of this ancient novel. He argues that the text's multifaceted nature allowed it to be read as everything from a moral allegory to a scandalous satire by diverse intellectual figures across centuries.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A chronological analysis of reader responses from the third to the seventeenth centuries.
- Comparative studies of how authors like St. Augustine, Petrarch, and Shakespeare engaged with the text.
- An examination of the novel's cultural impact in North Africa, Italy, France, Germany, and England.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the reception history rather than a direct literary analysis of the original Latin text.
- The analysis concludes at the seventeenth century, excluding modern or contemporary interpretations.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars recognize this monograph as a definitive resource for understanding the long-term cultural legacy of Apuleius's work. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of how classical texts are reinterpreted across different historical epochs.
Page Count:
520
Publication Date:
2007-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191527238
ISBN-13:
9780191527234
Reception History
English
English & College Success
Criticism history
Latin
Literary Criticism
Community Tags
Similar Books
