The Golden Ass
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Product Description
Product Description
Written towards the end of the second century AD, The Golden Ass tells the story of the many adventures of a young man whose fascination with witchcraft leads him to be transformed into a donkey. The bewitched Lucius passes from owner to owner - encountering a desperate gang of robbers and being forced to perform lewd 'human' tricks on stage - until the Goddess Isis finally breaks the spell and Lucius is initiated into her cult. Apuleius' enchanting story has inspired generations of writers such as Boccaccio, Shakespeare, Cervantes and Keats with its dazzling combination of allegory, satire, bawdiness and sheer exuberance, and remains the most continuously and accessibly amusing book to have survived from Classical antiquity.
About the Author
Lucius Apuleius (2nd Century AD) North African fubulist, who Latinized the Greek myths and legends. He travelled widely, visiting Italy, Asia &c and was there initiated into numerous religious mysteries. The knowledge which he thus acquired of the priestly fraternities he drew on for his Golden Ass.
E.J. Kenney is Emeritus Kennedy Professor of Latin in the University of Cambridge. His publications include a critical edition of Ovid's amatory works. He is a Fellow of the British Academy.
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First Sentence
Now, what I propose in this Milesian discourse is to string together for you a series of different stories and to charm your ears, kind reader, with amusing gossip - always assuming that you are not too proud to look at an Egyptian book written with the sharpness of a pen from the Nile; and to make you marvel at a story of men's shapes and fortunes changed into other forms and then restored all over again. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Now, what I propose in this Milesian discourse is to string together for you a series of different stories and to charm your ears, kind reader, with amusing gossip - always assuming that you are not too proud to look at an Egyptian book written with the sharpness of a pen from the Nile; and to make you marvel at a story of men's shapes and fortunes changed into other forms and then restored all over again. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When Apuleius wrote 'Give me your ear, reader: you will enjoy yourself', I don't expect that he thought people would still be enjoying his book centuries later. The story that he gave us has inspired Shakespeare, Boccaccio and Cervantes, amongst countless others.
This story of a man becoming magically transformed into an ass by accident is full of comedy, from slapstick through to satire. Full of incidents with stories in the story, Apuleius takes us through bawdiness to thriller. We hear of sex, fron hetero to gay, to bestiality. We hear of crime from robbery and kidnap, to murder. What we are have is a book that revels exuberantly in life.
Kenney's excellent and lively translation gives to us a book that is like a just published novel. If you thought that books from antiquity were dry and boring you will have to think again after reading this. This book is a must have, and will be enjoyed by teenagers upwards.
This story of a man becoming magically transformed into an ass by accident is full of comedy, from slapstick through to satire. Full of incidents with stories in the story, Apuleius takes us through bawdiness to thriller. We hear of sex, fron hetero to gay, to bestiality. We hear of crime from robbery and kidnap, to murder. What we are have is a book that revels exuberantly in life.
Kenney's excellent and lively translation gives to us a book that is like a just published novel. If you thought that books from antiquity were dry and boring you will have to think again after reading this. This book is a must have, and will be enjoyed by teenagers upwards.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The whole book is very amusing - the highlight for me, however, was the story of Cupid and Psyche. This translation is always pacey and exciting - unexpectedly I found the book a real page-turner. I can really only recommend 'The Golden Ass' - you will read it very, very quickly because it is so entertaining. Lucius' character is excellently drawn too, and many readers will be able to sympathise with his constant curiosity, often leading to disaster!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is 2nd century AD sex and drugs and rock'n'roll.
I'll echo the previous reviews by saying that this is great fun and a really engaging read. The notes are excellent too which really helps in a work like this, drawing out many allusions.
Poetry is often said to be lost in translation but the translator has captured a real sense of the Latin while retaining the fluency of the English.
I'll echo the previous reviews by saying that this is great fun and a really engaging read. The notes are excellent too which really helps in a work like this, drawing out many allusions.
Poetry is often said to be lost in translation but the translator has captured a real sense of the Latin while retaining the fluency of the English.
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