The Golden Ass

Golden Ass Apuleius' Golden Ass, the only surviving novel of the Roman Empire, is a tale of a Greek nobleman devoting his life to the goddess Isis following his transformation to an ass and back. Although a work of fiction, the novel reveals a great deal about religion in Apuleius' society. This information, however, must be viewed with a critical eye. He incorporates stories from Greco-Roman mythology not to affirm their validity, but to reveal their commonness to society. Apuleius insults

Katelyn White Professor McRae Greek and Roman Lit Spring 2015 Sex, Magic and the Golden Ass The theme of curiosity in The Golden Ass has different relationships with sex, magic and knowledge. The curiosity about magic, turns to the desire to possess the magic and to learn how to use it. The main character of The Golden Ass, Lucius, ignores many warnings about practicing magic and the witch Pamphile who uses it. When Lucius’ lover Photis explains the role that magic had in the prank that was pulled

of The Golden Ass, relative to the other anecdotal interludes. Given the central placement, length and style, many readers have questioned its relevance to the overarching story. Is it an artistic interlude providing a reprieve from harsher circumstances, like the long description of Achilles shield in the Iliad, or does it advance the story? While it is tempting to view the tale as an artistic interlude, the Tale of Cupid and Psyche perpetuates the demonization of women in The Golden Ass, draws

I will argue that the depictions of women in The Golden Ass seem to reinforce the gender stereotype of women to be lustful and manipulative nymphomaniacs because of the qualities of several female characters. The Golden Ass identifies the latent nature of women through several characters, namely: The woman from Corinth, who Lucius sleeps with, The wife from the story, the lover, and the jar, and Photis. First, I will analyze the woman from Corinth who sleeps with Lucius and how her qualities reinforce

A common theme found in both, Campbell McGrath’s Shannon and Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, is facing the consequences for venturing into the unknown. George Shannon and Lucius come face to face with unique obstacles, for instance George’s narrative long struggle to acquire any form of comestible sustenance or Lucius being faced with the seemingly immoral task to murder a woman by having sexual intercourse with her when he is in donkey form, that they must overcome. They used their pride and determination

Apuleius wrote the Golden Ass during the Second Century A.D. In it he talked about many complex allegorical contexts and layers of meaning pertaining to varying religious practices. He was able to do this by essentially switching back and forth between side stories which might or might not intertwine with the overall story. The religion of Isis was predominant in comparing the other lesser known or rather “inferior” religions of the time such as Christianity. It seems as if Isis was praised in a

fact that the division between men and women was by far the most prominent and obvious division in Greco-Roman society, not every woman enjoyed the same liberties and limitations as her counterparts. This is eloquently illustrated in Apuleius' "The Golden Ass," where gender roles and spatial dynamics interact to significantly influence the lives of the book's female protagonists. This essay compares and contrasts the experiences of two well-known characters, Meroe and Psyche, as they navigate the intricate

Throughout history religion has helped shape many societies, Roman life in the second century CE can be seen to be heavily influenced by their belief in the gods. The Romans have been documented to be one of the strongest ancient civilizations. The Golden Ass by Apuleius is an ancient fictional novel that features many aspects of the traditional Roman religion in the story. That helps us understand the religious system and how it evolved during that time period. The narrator, named Lucius, explains a

unable to feel remorse. While Apuleius gives the description of women and witches being very powerful and beautiful, they could be compared to the beauty of a goddess. In Apuleius’ The Golden Ass there is a very positive view on women. They are described as very beautiful and having long hair. The witch in The Golden Ass is described as a “moderately tall, slim but muscular, nice complexion, a natural blond simple hairstyle, eyes grey but alert and bright, really like an eagle’s, a blooming countenance

The Ass, the Witch, and the Roman Empire: Roman Society in The Golden Ass Apuleius’ The Golden Ass is the oldest Latin novel from around the era of the Roman Empire to survive in its entirety. Because of this fact, it means that this novel is a source of great insight into a first hand account, albeit with fictional prose, of Roman society through the eyes of a well-endowed male, Lucius, the narrator of the novel. Through his travels and his various encounters along the way, both as a man and an