Classics and the Western Canon discussion

Oct 15 - Oct 21 - Books 1&2
Oct 22 - Oct 28 - Books 3&4
Oct 29 - Nov 4 - Books 5&6
Nov 5 - Nov 11 - Books 7&8
Nov 12 - Nov 18 - Books 9&10
Nov 19 - Nov 25 - Book 11 and entire book

Although the focus of each week’s discussion will be the noted books, of course points from earlier books that are relevant to a later book’s discussion may be raised in the later week’s discussion.

Both my copies have interior numbering, perhaps the original pagination or paragraphs, so that Book 1 for example has numbered sections 1-26. This can be useful for referring to passages, so if your copy also has these section numbers, use them if convenient for points that refer to a specific passage.

It may be that different translators use slightly different spellings for some names, so don’t be thrown by this if it happens.

I can only interject The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays by M. Bakhtin for the 'group resources' for this commendable read. In it, he dissects the fable anatomically, as well as analyzing its position in the history of both folklore and narrative theory.

Could someone help me. My book does not have those 'books' listed like that. My contents is as follows:

Introduction
Apuleius's address to the reader
I The story of aristomenes.
II At milo's house
III The story of Thelyphron
IV The festival of laughter
V Lucius is transformed
VI The Bandit's cave
VII Cupid and Psyche (I)
VIII Cupid and Psyche (II)
IX Cupid and Psyche (III)
X Defeat of the Bandits
XI At the stud-farm
XII With the Eunuch priests
XII At the mill house
XIV With the markets-gardener and the centurion
XV At the councillor's house
XVI Under the trainer
XVII The goddess isis intervenes
XVIII The ass is transformed.
XIX At the bar
Appendix:
Lucian's ass.

(I have the translation by Robert Graves).

Cass wrote: "Could someone help me. My book does not have those 'books' listed like that. My contents is as follows:

Introduction
Apuleius's address to the reader
I The story of aristomenes.
II At milo's hous..."

That is odd. I'm not sure what those chapters refer to. The original books don't have names, but I'll list here the summaries at the head of each book as given by P.G. Walsh in his translation:

Book 1: Journey to Hypata: The Exemplar of Socrates
Book 2: Further Warnings at Byrrhena's: The Exemplar of Thelyphron
Book 3: The Festival of Laughter: Lucius Becomes an Ass
Book 4: At the Bandits' Hideout. Cupid and Psyche (i)
Book 5: Cupid and Psyche (continued)
Book 6: Cupid and Psyche (continued): The Frustrated Escape
Book 7: Charite (and Lucius) Rescued: Further Ordeals of Lucius
Book 8: Charite's Revenge and Death: Lucius with the Catamite Priests
Book 9: With the Priests, the Baker, the Market-Gardener: Four Tales of Cuckolding
Book 10: Tales of Wicked Women: Pleasant Life with the Cooks Leads to Public Humiliation
Book 11: Salvation, and Conversion to Isis

Hope that helps. It looks like each book is 1 or 2 chapters in your version.

Okay based on that, and in order to assist anyone else reading Graves translation I think it must be as follows:

(week 1 story 1) I The story of aristomenes.
(week 1 story ?) II At milo's house
(week 1 story 2) III The story of Thelyphron

(week 2 story 3) IV The festival of laughter
(week 2 story 3) V Lucius is transformed
(week 2 story 4) VI The Bandit's cave
(week 2 story 4) VII Cupid and Psyche (I)

(week 3 story 5) VIII Cupid and Psyche (II)
(week 3 story 6) IX Cupid and Psyche (III)
(week 3 story 6) X Defeat of the Bandits

(week 4 story 7) XI At the stud-farm
(week 4 story ?) XII With the Eunuch priests
(week 4 story 8) XII At the mill house

(week 5 story 9) XIV With the markets-gardener and the centurion
(week 5 story 9) XV At the councillor's house
(week 5 story 10) XVI Under the trainer
(week 5 story 10) XVII The goddess isis intervenes

(week 6 story 11) XVIII The ass is transformed.
(week 6 story 11) XIX At the bar


(I have the translation by Robert Graves).

Cass wrote: "Could someone help me. My book does not have those 'books' listed like that. My contents is as follows:..."

Robert Graves tends to do that sort of thing, which makes for challenges in cases like this.

In his defense, I'm not sure that Apuleius would have used chapters in his original text; they may have been added by later editors or translators and become traditional (like the Stephanus numbers in Plato, or the Books in Homer). But there's something to be said for traditions that clarify and help the reader.

I think your breakdown in post 5 is probably very close, but if you want to check it more carefully, you could download the Gutenberg.org copy and see whether you can match up the section breaks with the traditional book divisions.

I'll be interested in your take on Graves's translation.

I was googling trying to find out which chapters and I came across an academice article discussing translations and chapters, which I found interesting.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/1995/95.05.0...

Cass wrote: "Okay based on that, and in order to assist anyone else reading Graves translation I think it must be as follows:

(week 1 story 1) I The story of aristomenes.
(week 1 story ?) II At milo's house
(w..."

Thanks Cass! I just got my copy (of the Graves) in the mail this afternoon. You've saved me some confusion :).

Cass wrote: "I was googling trying to find out which chapters and I came across an academice article discussing translations and chapters, which I found interesting.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/1995/95.05.0..."

Interesting. He's a bit snarky, particularly about the introduction, but overall he's praising with strong damns.

Cass wrote: "I was googling trying to find out which chapters and I came across an academice article discussing translations and chapters, which I found interesting.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/1995/95.05.0..."

Thx, Cass! (I like Eman's assessment @9. :-))