American Journal of Philology

Abstract:

The Prologue of Apuleius’ Metamorphoses has long presented an interpretative challenge. Whether one is analyzing the Prologue in relation to its predecessors, intertexts, or generic meaning, the text is riddled with so much hermeneutic uncertainty that scholars have resorted to casting ballots to resolve issues. In this article, I argue that we should view the Prologue through a different lens—not as a “conundrum,” but rather as an “embedded choice” for readers. I suggest that Apuleius’ hermeneutic uncertainty functions as a kind of “Heracles at the Crossroads” narrative, offering readers the option to find philosophical meaning in his bawdy novel.