The Works Of Apuleius, Comprising The Metamorphoses, Or Golden Ass, The God Of Socrates, The Florida, And His Defence, Or A Discourse On Magic.

by Apuleius, Hudson Gurney

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Genres: Philosophy

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 180

About the author

People best know The Golden Ass , work of Roman philosopher and satirist Lucius Apuleius.

Apuleius (Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis “Africanus”; Berber: Afulay) wrote Latin-language prose.

This Berber of Numidia lived under the empire. From Madaurus (now M'Daourouch, Algeria), he studied Platonism in Athens and traveled to Italy, Asia Minor and Egypt. Several cults or mysteries initiated him.
In the most famous incident in his life, people then accused him of using magic to gain the attentions and fortune of a wealthy widow. Apuleius declaimed and then distributed a witty tour de force in his own defense before the proconsul and a court of magistrates convened in Sabratha, near ancient Tripoli, Libya.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apuleius

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apuleius was a writer and a notable Middle Platonist. His work, The Golden Ass, was an early example of a novel, and was quite influential on subsequent fiction writers (e.g. Rabelais). The Golden Ass is also notable for the myth of Cupid and Psyche. The latter story took on a life of its own. Kind of reminds one of the myth of the grand inquisitor in Dostoevsky’s Brother Karamazov. It was apparently meant to be a Platonist allegorical tale.

I had read Apuleius’ On The Doctrine of Plato in a separate collection. I’ve been wanting to finally get this book read, even though I wasn’t really interested in reading the Golden Ass as such. I’m not much into fiction, but I figured given its influence, I thought it would be good to be acquainted with it. I wasn’t all that taken with it to be honest. The myth of Cupid and Psyche I did find a bit more interesting. The Golden Ass was mildly amusing as a story. Apuleius’ Defense was a little bit more engaging, as was the God of Socrates. I was more interested in getting a bit more of Apuleius’ philosophical viewpoints. You do get that a bit in those two works. Apuleius was literally accused of being a sorcerer and actually defended himself in court. Apparently, this work was pretty accurate as to what he really said on the occasion. Definitely worth reading. I don’t think the works that survive indicate that he set forth anything original or novel in his Platonism. Not all of his works survive, but after having read most of what does, I would say for Middle Platonism, one should read Plutarch or Philo first.

I read this more for the desire to read all of what survives of Middle Platonist thought. I might recommend it to someone else who wants to do the same. Apuleius does provide some interesting details when it comes to the religion of mystery initiates. Now whether the details he provides could be used generally for Platonists or for Plato himself is difficult to say, but the details are interesting, nonetheless. I give the book around 3 or 3-and-a-half stars. As I intimated, there are more important Platonists that one should read first.

[John Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I read The Golden Ass again because it's really good: detailed, inventive, original. I love the way, part of the humour, there's always somebody sits down to tell a story, whatever the circumstances, however unlikely the character. Even the way he says, oh you don't think an ass could know this, well this is how. Or how he doesn't finish a story like what does happen to the gardener. The ass giving the game away by peeping out the window, exemplifying a proverb, is an image I'll remember. The way he depicts the morality of robbers, 'I should've slit his throat,' is so cleverly and consistently a tongue in cheek takeoff of conventional moralising, I believe Apuleius is underestimated. Why shouldn't he play with words anyway? Any writer worth the name plays with words. A warning: this edition is Victorian. It has two bits kept in Latin, not to offend wives and servants with sex, the first is under a line and not, so far as I could make out, text. The second is text and you should have a post 1960 translation for that bit. That apart this is a good edition. The end poems are gratuitous.

[Anda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this writer. He's everything I would like to be as I writer myself - funny, witty, philosophical, down to earth, erotic without being too vulgar, he exaggerates and makes up words but without going off course too much. His style is quite elaborate, a main story line with other tales looped to this line. The character travels and is changed by his experiences and the ending is quite inspiring and unexpected - Lucius becomes an initiate. However, his transformation is natural and his conversion into a devout of Isis is not at all forced. Delicious little stories about cheated husbands and Lucious' own sexual endeavours ( the "Let me put my finger in your soup" kind of flirtations and his night with a noble woman when he is still an ass are among my favourite), the morbid imagery (the guy who gets his nose and ears cut when he's guarding a dead body) and all the stories about magic (I too am a very curious one) kept me glued to this book. The Latin is not easy though...he makes up a lot of words and he utilizes Greek rules in his wordy titillations.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Сказано вам — не виноват Апулей. Не был он магом. Жил, веровал, совершал обряды, познавал мир, но не занимался магией. Ибо кто в Римской Империи прибегал к магическому искусству, тех, в лучшем случае, высылали, в худшем — казнили. Не сносить головы и Апулею, не умей он ладно сказывать истории. Время сохранило для нас его «Апологию» — защитительную речь. По ней мы можем судить о таланте человека, сумевшего снять с себя обвинения, оставив в дураках всех, кто был против него.

(c) Trounin

[Clayton Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Psyche & Cupid