The Roman Novel

by P.G. Walsh

Overview

"The Satyricon" of Petronius and the "Metamorphoses" (or "The Golden Ass") of Apuleius are the only novels written at Rome before AD 200 to have survived. The genre is the comic romance, the literature of relaxation in the ancient world. This study defines the genre and sets it in the context of other forms of fiction of the period. It shows that both Petronius and Apuleius introduced important innovations into the traditional comic romance. A critical study of "The Satyricon" is included, with a separate chapter on Trimalchio's feast, a central comic episode of the book. "The Golden Ass" is similarly examined, again with special analysis of its centre piece, the story of Cupid and Psyche. The book assesses the later influence of the two novels on the mainstream of European picaresque fiction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781853994500
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/01/1998
Series:	BCPaperbacks
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	286
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.61(d)

Table of Contents

Preface List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. The formative genres
3. The literary texture
4. The ‘Satyricon’
5. ‘Cena Trimalchionis’
6. The ‘Metamorphoses’
7. ‘Cupid and Psyche’
8. ‘Nachleben’: the Roman novel and the rebirth of the picaresque Appendix 1 The date of the ‘Satyricon’
Appendix 2 The career of Apuleius and the date of the ‘Metamorphoses’
Appendix 3 The Isiac Aretaogy from Kyme Select bibliography Indexes

Editorial Reviews

." . .we can be greatful to Walsh for providing a study to which all interested in the Roman novel will turn for instruction ans stimulation for a long time to come. They may be greatful, too, for the pleasure which comes from reading a bookwritten with great clarity and elegance." -- American Journal of Philology

From the Publisher