Apuleius’

(also known as the

, Latin

) is the single complete work of extended Latin prose fiction to survive from antiquity, comparable only to the

of Petronius, which dates about a century earlier, but is incomplete. Precise dating of the

is uncertain; many scholars think it was probably written after Apuleius’ trial in the 160s or 170s. The

is frequently studied and grouped with the Greek novels, including a Greek version of the same story known as the

[the

]. This short work is transmitted with the works of Apuleius’ contemporary, Lucian, but authorship is uncertain; most scholars agree that the author (or abridger) of the

and Apuleius were drawing on a common source, no longer extant,…

2629 words

Citation: Sabnis, Sonia. "Metamorphoses". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 July 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26509, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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