The Golden Ass (Machiavelli)
Encyclopedia
L'asino is a satirical poem of eight chapters written by the Italian political scientist and writer Niccolò Machiavelli
in 1517. A modernized version of Apuleius'
The Golden Ass
(rather than a translation of it), it is written in terza rima
. It also concerns the theme of metamorphosis
, and contains autobiographical, grotesque, and allegorical episodes.
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic...
in 1517. A modernized version of Apuleius'
Apuleius
Apuleius was a Latin prose writer. He was a Berber, from Madaurus . He studied Platonist philosophy in Athens; travelled to Italy, Asia Minor and Egypt; and was an initiate in several cults or mysteries. The most famous incident in his life was when he was accused of using magic to gain the...
The Golden Ass
The Golden Ass
The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which St. Augustine referred to as The Golden Ass , is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety....
(rather than a translation of it), it is written in terza rima
Terza rima
Terza rima is a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. It was first used by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri.-Form:Terza rima is a three-line stanza using chain rhyme in the pattern A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C, D-E-D...
. It also concerns the theme of metamorphosis
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation...
, and contains autobiographical, grotesque, and allegorical episodes.
External links
- L'Asino (complete text)