Will Power
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2007
- Messages
- 33,363
Now then, settle down don't get triggered
This is the only extant Latin novel by the 2nd century author Apuleius c 124- 170? We don't generally think of the Ancients as writing novels, novels tend to be regarded as a later genre say c17th. But it is and most of Classical literature was lost so there will have been others. This is a very amusing often ribald, explicit satire that today is translated as Metamorphosis despite Ovid and Kafka already claiming the title. Due to the modern usage- somehow The Golden Donkey sounds too absurd...It concerns a rather cocky young man who fancies himself rather too much who decides to meddle in magic. The consequnces are horrible, rather than being transformed into an Owl for a night the gods intervene -Fortuna- and he is instead transformed into an Ass/Donkey a beast of burden and a figure of ridicule and hate. Problem is, he retains his human mind and feelings and is able to see a vast array of human behaviours and cruelties, notably to animals all the while Fortuna heaps worse atrocities on him. In the end his devotion to the powerful goddess Isis allows him to be returned to human form and to be initiated as a devotee.
I have no Roman Latin knife (although I have one made in Rome) who does ?
but I thought a Ram's Horn Italian knife suitable enough considering the animal origins, no offence to Aries....
