| The Golden Ass Revised Edition Contributor(s): Apuleius (Author), Kenney, E. J. (Translator), Kenney, E. J. (Introduction by) |
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ISBN: 0140435905 ISBN-13: 9780140435900 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $12.60 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 1999 Annotation: In all of literature, there are few books with the vitality of The Golden Ass. Boccaccio borrowed freely from it; later it served to amuse and instruct Cervantes, Henry Fielding, and Tobias George Smoollett. T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, carried it with him in his saddlebags all through the Arab Revolt, and it was Lawrence who first introduced the book to his friend Robert Graves. The story follows Lucius, a young man of good birth, as he disports himself in the cities and along the roads of Thessaly. He encounters many diverting and strange adventures, not the least of which occurs when he betrays a priestess of the White Goddess -- for his offense, he suffers the indignity of being turned into an ass. How Lucius supports his misfortune and contrives at last to appease the goddess and resume his human form make up the body of this tale abounding in lusty incident, curious adventure, and bawdy wit. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Classics - Fiction | Literary - Fiction | Fantasy - Humorous |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 99178805 |
| Lexile Measure: 1350 |
| Series: Penguin Classics |
| Physical Information: 0.77" H x 5.26" W x 7.68" (0.54 lbs) 304 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: An enchanting story that has inspired generations of writers, including Boccaccio, Shakespeare, Cervantes and Keats Written towards the end of the second century AD, The Golden Ass tells the story of the many adventures of a young man whose fascination with witchcraft leads him to be transformed into a donkey. The bewitched Lucius passes from owner to owner - encountering a desperate gang of robbers and being forced to perform lewd 'human' tricks on stage - until the Goddess Isis finally breaks the spell and initiates Lucius into her cult. It has long been disputed whether Apuleius meant this last-minute conversion seriously or as a final comic surprise, and the challenge of interpretation continues to keep readers fascinated. Apuleius' enchanting story has inspired generations of writers such as Boccaccio, Shakespeare, Cervantes and Keats with its dazzling combination of allegory, satire, bawdiness and sheer exuberance, and The Golden Ass remains the most continuously and accessibly amusing book to have survived from Classical antiquity. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. |