The Golden Ass
Also known as Metamorfoses, Golden Ass, Metamorphoses, Apul. Met.
Ancient Roman novel by Apuleius
Book · Open Library
- Author
- Milo Manara
- First published
- 2016
- Editions
- 1
- Subjects
- Comics & graphic novels, erotica, Comic books, strips
via Open Library
Key facts
- Author
- Apuleius
- Original title
- Metamorphoses
- Translator
- William Adlington , Thomas Taylor , George Head , Francis D. Byrne , H. E. Butler , Robert Graves , Jack Lindsay , John Arthur Hanson , P. G. Walsh, Edward John Kenney , Joel C. Relihan, Sarah Ruden
- Language
- Latin
- Genre
- Picaresque novel
- Publication date
- Late 2nd century AD
- Publication place
Article
The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as The Golden Ass (Latin: Asinus aureus), is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety.
The protagonist of the novel is Lucius. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from Madaurus, the hometown of Apuleius himself. The plot revolves around the protagonist's curiosity (curiositas) and insatiable desire to see and practice magic. While trying to perform a spell to transform into a bird, he is accidentally transformed into an ass. This leads to a long journey, literal and metaphorical, filled with inset tales. He finally finds salvation through the intervention of the goddess Isis, whose cult he joins.