The Metamorphosis of Language in Apuleius: A Study of Allusion in the Novel - Hardcover

The Metamorphosis of Language in Apuleius: A Study of Allusion in the Novel.

Zustand: Gut. 256 p. From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Pencil entries on half-title page. Otherwise in perfect condition. - Content: y Metamorphosis o f Language in Apuleius is a provocative study of the use of literary allusion in Apuleius picaresque novel, Metamorphoses (also known as The Golden Ass'). Apuleius is enticing but frustrating because of his enigmatic mixture of the comic and serious: a young man is transformed into a donkey but eventually finds salvation with the goddess Isis. Ellen Finkelpearls book represents the first attempt to place Apuleius allusive practices within a consideration of the development of the ancient novel. When Apuleius wrote his Metamorphoses, the novel indeed the very concept of fiction in prose was new and its status uncertain. Finkelpearl finds that the repeated allusions to earlier Latin authors such as Vergil, Ovid, or Seneca represent an exploration of the relationship between this novel and more established genres. Apuleius struggle with literary traditions parallels the protagonists arduous wanderings, from a relative acceptance through a sense of the stranglehold of traditional forms, and finally to a sense of arrival and self-discovery in the last book. An introductory chapter includes general discussion of the theory and practice of allusion. Finkelpearl then revisits the issue of parody in Apuleius, reaching the conclusion that, even when Apuleius is at his most parodic, his text engages with the original context in ways that point out similarities as much as differences, hence confusing generic-boundaries. Finkelpearl reads Apuleius use of Vergil's Sinon as a self-conscious reminder of the deceptiveness of all fiction. She further discusses the stepmother episode and posits that the dominant image of bad family relationships has become an image for the way that Apuleius sees his literary family. Discussion of Apuleius final book offers a new reading of Isis that emphasizes her associations with writing and matches the multiformity of the goddess with the novels many voices. A chapter on the Charite episode offers a preliminary investigation into the ways that his African origins may have influenced his reading of the Dido episode in Vergil. Discussion of this reading of the Dido episode engages with current considerations of multiculturalism in the ancient world strengthening the link between traditional and unconventional. This book differs from previous studies in its scope, its insistence on a variety of approaches, its emphasis on the importance of genre, and its argument that the place of the literary tradition progresses through the book.This is the first attempt to link Apuleius allusive practices with a consideration of the emergence of the novel and the consequent tensions in generic form.The chapters on Charite, the Phaedraesque stepmother, and Isis represent experimental new directions for the interpretation of Apuleius and literary influence. This book will be a valuable resource for all those interested in the intricacies of literary influence in any field. Ellen D. Finkelpearl is Associate Professor of Classics, Scripps College. ISBN 9780472108893 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 472 Original cloth with foiled dust jacket. Artikel-Nr. 1169676

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