"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.
- ISBN13 9780521076586
- Publish Date 2 July 1970
- Publish Status Inactive
- Out of Print 19 March 1991
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Cambridge University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 286
- Language English