Witches, Isis and Narrative: Approaches to Magic in Apuleius' "Metamorphoses" (Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes, 2)

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.

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.

Frontmatter 1 Contents 7 Acknowledgements 11 Text and Figure Acknowledgements 13 Introduction 15 Chapter 1. The Onos versus Apuleius’ Metamorphoses 27 Chapter 2. Lucius versus Socrates and Aristomenes 60 Chapter 3. Lucius’ and Milo’s Tales of Diophanes and Asinius’ Prophecy: Internal Readers and the Author 83 Chapter 4. Lucius versus Thelyphron 99 Chapter 5. The Tale of Cupid and Psyche as a Mythic Variant of the Novel 122 Chapter 6. ‘War’ in Magic and Lovemaking 144 Chapter 7. Lucius’ Metamorphosis into an Ass as a Narrative Device 167 Chapter 8. Rewriting Metamorphoses 1 – 10: The Isis Book 189 Chapter 9. Transforming the Genre: Apuleius’ Metamorphoses 218 Appendix: Lucius’ Metamorphic Change and Entrance into a New Life as a Metaphorical Representation of the Sailing of Isis’ Ship 231 Backmatter 247 Review text: " ... il volume può essere ritenuto un utile punto di partenza per nouve riletture dell' affascinante universio narrativo apuleiano."Marco Onorato in: Bolletino di Studi latini 1/2009 "Cette étude globale sur les différentes attitudes adoptées vis-a-vis de l'univers de la magie et de la sphère du divin offre une bonne synthèse des travaux précédents et dévoile, grâce à la subtilité de certaines comparaisons, quelques aspects encore cachés d'un texte dont la richesse et la complexité ne sont pas encore épuisées."Géraldine Puccini-Delbey in: Revue des Études Latines 86/2008. Annotation This is the first in-depth study of Apuleius Metamorphoses to juxtapose the different attitudes towards magic adopted by Lucius and other characters, either in embedded tales or in the main plot, as a key to deciphering the complex dynamics of the work. The contextualized approach pursued in this study further suggests that the novels final book may be read as a second Metamorphoses, rewritten from a positive perspective. The book breaks new ground by examining the narrative structure of the Metamorphoses against the background of the typical plotline found in the ideal romance