Metamorphosis (The Golden Ass)

The Metamorphoses of Apuleius which St. Augustine referred to as The Golden Ass (Asinus aureus) is the only Ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. Simultaneously a blend of romantic adventure, fable, and religious testament, Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass) is one of the truly seminal works of European literature, of intrinsic interest as a novel in its own right, and one of the earliest examples of the picaresque. The story is about Lucius Apuleius, a young man of good birth, who, while disporting himself in the cities and along the roads of Thessaly, encountered many diverting and strange adventures. Not the least of these was that Apuleius suffered the indignity of being turned into an ass after trying to steal a sorceress's magic. How Apuleius supported his misfortune and how he contrived to dedicate himself to the one goddess who could help him resume his human form make up the body of this tale. The Golden Ass is rich in lusty incident, curious adventure, and bawdy wit. Robert Graves' translation abandons the aureate latinity of Apuleius for a dry, sharp, plain style which is itself a small masterpiece of twentieth-century prose.