Abstract
Apuleius’ Metamorphoses. 1. The Archetypal Initiation Pattern. In this paper I apply a concept I have coined and defined – the anarchetype – to the ancient Greek and Latin novel, more specifically to Apuleius’ Metamorphoses. The text suffers, in my view, from the tension between two contrary formal tendencies, one which is archetypal, another which is anarchetypal. The first structural constraint is the archetypal one. In contrast to the popular narrative Onos, that Apuleius takes as his epic source, The Golden Ass receives a strong organizing pattern, that of an initiation journey. Transformed by mistake, within a sorcery ritual, into an ass, Lucius suffers a series of adventures and encounters with different mystery and philosophical cults (Dea Syria, Dionysos, Isis, Medio-platonism) which bring him back to the human, and then divine condition. This rite of passage offers an archetypal structure to the novel.
Keywords: Greek and Latin novel; Apuleius; The Metamorphoses; Mystery Cults; initiation travel; archetype; anarchetype.
Publisher
Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca
Reference70 articles.
1. "1. Apulée. 2002. Apologie. Texte établi et traduit par Paul Valette, Introduction et notes de Jakie Pigeaud. Paris : Les Belles Lettres.
2. 2. Apulée. 1958. Les Métamorphoses. In Romans grecs et latins, Textes présentés, traduits et annotés par Pierre Grimal. Paris : Gallimard.
3. 3. Apuleius of Madauros. 1975. The Isis-Book (Metamorphoses, Book XI). Edited with an Introduction, Translation and Commentary by J. Gwyn Griffiths. Brill : Leiden.
4. 4. Aristote. 2008. Livre de la Poétique. Traduction de Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilare, Paris : Ladrange, 1838. Œuvre numérisée par J.P. Murcia. Nouvelle édition numérique.
5. 5. Dubuisson, Michel. 1999. Pseudo-Lucien de Samosate, Lucius ou l'âne. Une nouvelle traduction annotée par Michel Dubuisson. Bibliotheca Classica Selecta,