Metamorphosis of Language in Apuleius: A Study of Allusion in the NovelEllen D. Finkelpearl's Metamorphosis of Language in Apuleius studies the use of literary allusion by the Roman author Apuleius, in his second century C.E. novel the Metamorphoses, popularly known as The Golden Ass. Apuleius' work is enticing yet frustrating because of its enigmatic mixture of the comic and serious; a young man is transformed into a donkey, but eventually finds salvation with the goddess Isis. Finkelpearl's book represents the first attempt to place Apuleius' allusive practices within a consideration of the development of the ancient novel. When Apuleius wrote his Metamorphoses, the novel--indeed the very concept of fiction in prose--was new. This study argues that Apuleius' repeated allusions to earlier Latin authors such as Vergil, Ovid, and Seneca represent an exploration on his part of the relationship between the novel and more established genres of the era. Apuleius' struggle with this tradition, Finkelpearl maintains, parallels the protagonist's move from an acceptance of the dominance of traditional forms to a sense of arrival and self- discovery. An introductory chapter includes general discussion of the theory and practice of allusion. Finkelpearl then revisits the issues of parody in Apuleius. She also includes discussion of Apuleius' use of Vergil's Sinon, the Charite episode in relation to Apuleius' African origins, and the stepmother episode. Finally a new reading of Isis is offered, which emphasizes her associations with writing and matches the multiformity of the goddess with the novel's many voices. This book will be of interest to scholars of literature and the origins of the novel, multiculturalism, and classical literature. Ellen D. Finkelpearl is Associate Professor of Classics at Scripps College, Claremont, California. |
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Contents
Chapter 1 Background and Method | 1 |
Chapter 2 Parody | 36 |
Chapter 3 Reading Isolated Allusions | 56 |
Fiction Naïveté and the Audience | 82 |
Chapter 5 Epic Novel Katabasis | 110 |
Chapter 6 Charite Dido and the Widow of Ephesus | 115 |
Chapter 7 Phaedra Dido and Apuleius Nouerca | 149 |
Chapter 8 Escape and a New Voice | 184 |
Conclusion | 218 |
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Common terms and phrases
Aeneas Aeneid African ancient appears Apuleian Apuleius argues beginning Book 11 Callebat Carthage Carthaginian chapter characters Charite Charite's clearly comic connection context critics Cupid and Psyche described Dido Dido's discussion earlier echoes emphasizes Ennius epic episode example fabula fall of Troy family relationships fiction Fotis Frangoulidis Gatscha genre Gianotti goddess Greek Haemus hair Hijmans Hippolytus identity imitation involved Isiac Isis issue language later Latin literary allusion Lucius Lucretius Mattiaci Metamorphoses motif narrative narrator nomen novel Ovid Ovid's Paardt parallel parody passage passim perhaps Petronius Phaedra phrase poetic poets Propertius prose Psyche's quae quid Quintilian reader reading reference reminiscence Risus Festival robbers Roman satiric says Schlam seems Seneca sense Sinon sion sort speech stepmother stepmother's story style suicide tale theme Thiasus tion Tlepolemus tradition Trojans Venus verbal Vergil Vergilian Walsh Westerbrink 1978 Winkler words writing