Things to Know
First of all, hi f-list. I'm going to be posting my Latin translations on here because it's easier to keep track of them here than on Myspace or elsewhere (it'll be a nice change from my latest posts anyway, haha). They will be exceedingly long, but I am a pro lj-cutter. Feel free to read, comment, tell me I'm a loser, whatever.
Now:
This'll be short and sweet because a) I'm tired, b) I don't know a whole lot about it, and c) I don't think that you need to know a whole lot to read it.
Basically, Metamorphoses ( a.k.a. The Golden Ass) is a string of narratives experienced and heard by the main character, Lucius, as he travels wherever and in his adventures as a donkey. Here's the scholarly stuff you should know:
(I'm going to have to come back to fill in details because I don't have my Satyricon notes nearby...which are relevant, but here's what I know for sure:)
Metamorphoses may have merely been transcribed and adapted in Latin by Apuleius. The Romans were keen on kidnapping bits and pieces of Greek culture...or the whole culture. Understandably so. Therefore, the text is rife with Greek names and places which would be far easier to figure out if they had been left in Greek instead of the Latin hybrid. Also, the text is written in a Late or Silver Latin (I'm dateless, my apologies) which defies all manner of reason, I'll have you know. I'm getting used to it though, so later translations may make more sense than the earlier ones.
I am using the Loeb text and translation by J. Arthur Hanson, trying less and less to peek at the translation. I need to buy my own copy.
Here's a map of Greece if you feel like you need a visual of the journey. On a final note, I promise this is going to be highly entertaining and maybe quite naughty in parts (once you get past the first couple sections).
Source: www.britannica.com
Now:
This'll be short and sweet because a) I'm tired, b) I don't know a whole lot about it, and c) I don't think that you need to know a whole lot to read it.
Basically, Metamorphoses ( a.k.a. The Golden Ass) is a string of narratives experienced and heard by the main character, Lucius, as he travels wherever and in his adventures as a donkey. Here's the scholarly stuff you should know:
(I'm going to have to come back to fill in details because I don't have my Satyricon notes nearby...which are relevant, but here's what I know for sure:)
Metamorphoses may have merely been transcribed and adapted in Latin by Apuleius. The Romans were keen on kidnapping bits and pieces of Greek culture...or the whole culture. Understandably so. Therefore, the text is rife with Greek names and places which would be far easier to figure out if they had been left in Greek instead of the Latin hybrid. Also, the text is written in a Late or Silver Latin (I'm dateless, my apologies) which defies all manner of reason, I'll have you know. I'm getting used to it though, so later translations may make more sense than the earlier ones.
I am using the Loeb text and translation by J. Arthur Hanson, trying less and less to peek at the translation. I need to buy my own copy.
Here's a map of Greece if you feel like you need a visual of the journey. On a final note, I promise this is going to be highly entertaining and maybe quite naughty in parts (once you get past the first couple sections).
Source: www.britannica.com