James, Paula
Unity in Diversity

A Study of Apuleius' "Metamorphoses" with Particular Reference to the Narrator's Art of Transformation and the Metamorphosis Motif in the Tale of Cupid and Psyche.

Thinking that many interpretations of the "Metamorphoses" overstress the novel's reflection of the spiritual climate of the 2nd century A.D. while neglecting its individuality and originality, the author of this study concentrates her attention on the literary structure and unity of the novel. She identifies as unifying factors the first-person narrator Lucius and, on a more subtle level, the recurrence of themes with variations, a kind of literary metamorphosis which mirrors the main theme of the work. In this study Apuleius is seen not to be capitulating passively to the 'spirit of the age', but to be capitalizing upon it and exploiting it for his own creative ends. 272 Seiten, broschiert (Altertumswissenschaftliche Texte und Studien; Band 16/Olms Verlag 1987) leichte Lagerspuren