Apuleius: Cupid and Psyche
Cupid and Psyche
Published on 6. December 1990
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-521-27813-3 (ISBN)
Description
Apuleius' story of Cupid and Psyche, the relationship of the human Soul with divine Love, is one of the great allegories of world literature. It forms an integral part of and profoundly illuminates the message of his novel Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass, which relates the adventures of a young man and his spiritual fall and redemption. To enrich and deepen his basic plot, the origins of which are obscure, Apuleius has combined poetic sources, Platonic philosophy and popular iconography in an unprecedented tour de force of literary creation. This edition sensitively elucidates the subtle art with which this transformation has been accomplished, and comprehensively illustrates both Apuleius' inventive handling of his various models and sources and the exuberant and idiosyncratic Latinity with forms the vehicle for it. It places in a fresh light the results of recent work on the ancient Novel and on Apuleius himself, and offers a stimulating, occasionally provocative, reading of his much-discussed text. The Latin is accompanied by a facing English translation, making the edition more accessible to students of comparative literature as well as to classicists.
Reviews / Votes
"The translation again is in accurate, idiomatic English...but the fleshing out is left to the commentary, which is a superb help toward appreciating a rich and complex piece of artistry." The Key Reporter "The entire work exhibits the precision and thoroughness that we expect in Kenney's scholarship....Kenney's Cupid and Psyche is a virtuosic performance and marks an auspicious beginning to the new Imperial Library from Cambridge University Press." James R. Bradley, New England Classical Journal and NewsletterMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
312 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-27813-3 (9780521278133)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Apuleius | E. J. Kenney
Apuleius: Cupid and Psyche
Book
12/1990
Cambridge University Press
€59.42
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Previous edition
Apuleius | E. J. Kenney
Apuleius: Cupid and Psyche
Book
12/1990
Cambridge University Press
€59.42
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Apuleius was a Numidian Latin prose writer, Platonist philosopher, and rhetorician. He was born in the Roman province of Numidia, in the Berber city of Madauros, which is now known as M'Daourouch in Algeria. He studied Platonism in Athens, traveled to Italy, Asia Minor, and Egypt, and was initiated into various cults and mysteries. The most well-known occurrence in his life occurred when he was accused of utilizing magic to attract the attention (and fortune) of a wealthy widow. He declaimed and then presented his own defense to the proconsul and a magistrates' court in Sabratha, near Oea (modern Tripoli, Libya). This is known as an apologia. His most renowned work is the raunchy picaresque novel Metamorphoses, sometimes known as The Golden Ass. It is the only Latin novel that has survived intact. It follows the experiences of its main character, Lucius, who plays with magic and is unintentionally transformed into a donkey. Lucius travels on several adventures until being transformed back into a human person by the goddess Isis.
Content
Preface; Abbreviations and references; Introduction; 1. The author; 2. The book; 3. The 'meaning' of the Metamorphoses; 4. The story of Cupid and Psyche; 5. Style and language; 6. The text; Commentary; Indexes.