Apuleius’
Metamorphoses(also known as the
Golden Ass, Latin
Asinus Aureus) is the single complete work of extended Latin prose fiction to survive from antiquity, comparable only to the
Satyricaof Petronius, which dates about a century earlier, but is incomplete. Precise dating of the
Metamorphosesis uncertain; many scholars think it was probably written after Apuleius’ trial in the 160s or 170s. The
Metamorphosesis frequently studied and grouped with the Greek novels, including a Greek version of the same story known as the
Onos[the
Ass]. 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
Onosand Apuleius were drawing on a common source, no longer extant,…
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Citation: Sabnis, Sonia. "Metamorphoses". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 July 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26509, accessed 13 December 2024.]