Witches, Isis and narrative : approaches to magic in Apuleius' Metamorphoses / by Stavros Frangoulidis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Frangoulidis, Stavros.

Series:

Trends in classics. Supplementary volumes ; v. 2.

Trends in classics. Supplementary volumes ; v. 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Magic in literature.

Witches in literature.

Apuleius. Metamorphoses.

Apuleius.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (270 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; New York : De Gruyter, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is the first in-depth study of Apuleius' Metamorphoses to look at the different attitudes characters adopt towards magic as a key to deciphering the complex dynamics of the entire work. The variety of responses to magic is unveiled in the narrative as the protagonist Lucius encounters an assortment of characters, either in embedded tales or in the main plot. A contextualized approach illuminates Lucius' relatively good fortune when compared to other characters in the novel - this results from his involvement with the magic of a sorcerer's apprentice, rather than that of a real witch, and signals the possibility of eventual salvation. A careful investigation of Lucius' attitude towards Isis in book 11 and his relationship with the witch-slave girl Photis earlier on suggests that the novel's final book may be read as a second "Metamorphoses", consciously rewritten from a positive perspective. Last but not least, the book also breaks new ground by examining the narrative structure of the Metamorphoses against the background of the typical plotline found in the ideal romance. The comparison shows how Apuleius both follows and alters this plot, exploiting the genre to his own specific ends, in keeping with his central theme of metamorphosis.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgements

Text and Figure Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Onos versus Apuleius' Metamorphoses

Chapter 2. Lucius versus Socrates and Aristomenes

Chapter 3. Lucius' and Milo's Tales of Diophanes and Asinius' Prophecy: Internal Readers and the Author

Chapter 4. Lucius versus Thelyphron

Chapter 5. The Tale of Cupid and Psyche as a Mythic Variant of the Novel

Chapter 6. 'War' in Magic and Lovemaking

Chapter 7. Lucius' Metamorphosis into an Ass as a Narrative Device

Chapter 8. Rewriting Metamorphoses 1 - 10: The Isis Book

Chapter 9. Transforming the Genre: Apuleius' Metamorphoses

Appendix: Lucius' Metamorphic Change and Entrance into a New Life as a Metaphorical Representation of the Sailing of Isis' Ship

Backmatter

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliography and indices.

ISBN:

9786613397034

9781283397032

128339703X

9783110210033

3110210037

OCLC:

646769662