A study on characterization in Apuleius' Metamorphoses. 1) The robber gangs, between fiction and reality; epic models and novelistic adaptations; parody and the rules of the genre; outlaws in the Greek and Latin novels. 2) The old woman who narrates the tale of Cupid and Psyche; the definition of C&P as "anilis fabula"; the definition of the old narrator as "delira et temulenta"; epic and satire as as models, and their novelistic adaptations. 3) COnclusions: The novel is indeed a dubious and complex domain. Its characters live in a no-man’s land in ancient literary space, and frequently cross the borders of several genres such as epic, tragedy, historiography, comedy, satire – not to forget, of course, the ‘real’ world. In fact, one might say that their complex literary patina helps to underline their fictionality, and to create that delicate balance between claims to truth and creative invention that is typical of the ancient novel. One cannot deny that there is a high degree of artificiality to such an elaborate construction of characters, an artificiality Apuleius often seems to enhance in comparison to the Greek novelists. While they usually (although certainly not always) try to make discreet use of the tricks of their trade and to create a more harmonious blend out of different literary ingredients, Apuleius tends to show off his literary sophistication; he almost seems to invite his “careful reader” (cf. 9.30.1 and 11.23.5) to visit his workshop and admire the quality and variety of tools at his disposal. This can sometimes result in humorous and comic contrasts, but one should not overestimate this aspect of novelistic writing. What is constantly there, instead, is certainly a tendency towards literary refinement, and a display of literary culture we could appropriately label as ‘sophistic’.

Graverini, L. (2015). The Robbers and the Old Woman (Metamorphoses Books 3.28-7.12). In Characterisation in Apuleius’ Metamorphoses. Nine Studies (pp. 89-104). Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

The Robbers and the Old Woman (Metamorphoses Books 3.28-7.12)

GRAVERINI, LUCA
2015-01-01

Abstract

A study on characterization in Apuleius' Metamorphoses. 1) The robber gangs, between fiction and reality; epic models and novelistic adaptations; parody and the rules of the genre; outlaws in the Greek and Latin novels. 2) The old woman who narrates the tale of Cupid and Psyche; the definition of C&P as "anilis fabula"; the definition of the old narrator as "delira et temulenta"; epic and satire as as models, and their novelistic adaptations. 3) COnclusions: The novel is indeed a dubious and complex domain. Its characters live in a no-man’s land in ancient literary space, and frequently cross the borders of several genres such as epic, tragedy, historiography, comedy, satire – not to forget, of course, the ‘real’ world. In fact, one might say that their complex literary patina helps to underline their fictionality, and to create that delicate balance between claims to truth and creative invention that is typical of the ancient novel. One cannot deny that there is a high degree of artificiality to such an elaborate construction of characters, an artificiality Apuleius often seems to enhance in comparison to the Greek novelists. While they usually (although certainly not always) try to make discreet use of the tricks of their trade and to create a more harmonious blend out of different literary ingredients, Apuleius tends to show off his literary sophistication; he almost seems to invite his “careful reader” (cf. 9.30.1 and 11.23.5) to visit his workshop and admire the quality and variety of tools at his disposal. This can sometimes result in humorous and comic contrasts, but one should not overestimate this aspect of novelistic writing. What is constantly there, instead, is certainly a tendency towards literary refinement, and a display of literary culture we could appropriately label as ‘sophistic’.
2015
978-1-4438-7533-2
1-4438-7533-3
Graverini, L. (2015). The Robbers and the Old Woman (Metamorphoses Books 3.28-7.12). In Characterisation in Apuleius’ Metamorphoses. Nine Studies (pp. 89-104). Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11365/978633