CLA 2323 Chapter Notes - Chapter cupid and psyche: The Golden Ass, Greco-Roman Mysteries, Proserpina
12 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
The charming tale of cupid and psyche (as it"s usually called) was a late greek myth or folk tale. It is best-known today from its retelling in an ancient novel written in latin the word novel meaning a sustained storytelling work written in prose, not poetry from about 160 a. d. , during the roman empire. The novel"s author did not make up the psyche tale, but included it within his longer story. The author was a rich roman citizen in north africa named lucius apuleius; he wrote other works that survive today, but is remembered mainly for his fascinating novel. Metamorphoses ( the changes ), it is in english traditionally called the golden ass [ ass meaning. Early in the novel, the protagonist, lucius, is unhappily transformed into a donkey when a frivolous experiment in black magic goes really, really wrong. The golden ass is the only ancient roman novel that survives complete.
