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University of California Press

Auctor and Actor

A Narratological Reading of Apuleius's The Golden Ass

by John J. Winkler (Author)
Price: $49.95 / £42.00
Publication Date: Jun 2024
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 354
ISBN: 9780520377172
Trim Size: 6 x 9

About the Book

Addressed to readers of modern literature as well as to those interested in Greco-Roman literature and in religious history, Auctor and Actor examines Apuleius's The Golden Ass as an early example of self-consciousness in narrative. Entering into the spirit of the novel's crafty playfulness, John J. Winkler carries the reader on a journey that is, like that of the hero Lucius, both entertaining and enlightening.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.

About the Author

John J. Winkler was, at the time of his death in 1990, Associate Professor of Classics at Stanford University.

Reviews

"A brilliant book. . . . In recapturing the exquisite ambiguity of Apuleius's Golden Ass, John J. Winkler has taken one of the liveliest books in the Latin language out of the state of suspended animation to which it had been condemned by monolithic interpretations."
—Peter Brown, author of Augusting of Hippo
 
"In this scholarly and lively study, Winkler tackles the elusive meaning of one of the most famous and most arcane works of classical literature. Applying methods intelligently derived from recent advances in French narratology, Winkler builds a persuasive case for a new look at Apuleius's discursive and historical strategies."
—Marc E. Blanchard, Comparative Literature
 
"Winkler's book is a magnificent performance: quite apart from a mighty range of classical learning and a style full of sophistication, verve and personality, he deploys with authority and with such clarity as is possible a sensitive and largely jargon-free modern narratology philologorum in usum."
—Ken Dowden, The Classical Review
 
"This sophisticated, imaginative, erudite work belongs on the shelf of every classicist interested in literary theory, popular culture, satire, or religion."
—Amy Richlin, Classical World