Mrchen und Magie in den "Metamorphosen" des Apuleius von Madaura by Fritz Erik Hoevels

Review by: Carl C. Schlam

Classical Philology, Vol. 76, No. 3 (Jul., 1981), pp. 244-247
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
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 244 BOOKREVIEWS

writing at the end of the second century"; and, unlike Tacitus, he is tacitly denied
status as a Roman, a senator, and a consul. Historians will cringe at W.'s meth-
odology of source criticism, which accepts Tacitus' version of the speech of Pauli-
nus, before the decisive battle with Boudica, on the ground that "this is blunt
soldier talk probably heard by Agricola who passed it on to Tacitus." By contrast,
Dio's versions are rejected as "neat pieces of rhetoric not the sensible practical
words [of Tacitus] which have the touch of reality."
Indeed, the book is littered with similar obiter dicta. "Reading was regarded
by most Romans as a tiresome necessity, and those who indulged in it were the
philosophers who were despised by the normal conservative Roman to whom
tradition was a sacred element in the fabric of society" (p. 17). "The old Roman
virtues were based on moderation and sobriety, and religion was seen as a matter
of obligation to the gods in performing time-honoured rituals at the proper times
and in the proper places. When the exotic cults reached Rome from Egypt and
the East, they were not readily accepted. Some were banned altogether, and
others only allowed in the outskirts of the town" (p. 131). These are irritants to
the specialist, who will only wonder what W. makes of the temples of Isis at
Pompeii and in the Campus Martius and of the Magna Mater on the Palatine, or
how he fits Seneca and the prose romances into his stereotype of the unlettered
Roman. The general reader, for whom this book is intended, may be seriously
misled by such faulty generalizations. He will also be confused at points by W.'s
unfortunately ineffective arrangement of his material. For example, a single
chapter inexplicably combines a discussion of the character and equipment of the
Roman army and its British foes in A.D. 60 with a rather technical discussion of
our evidence for the Gallic settlement of Britain and with scattered comments on
Caesar's invasion. In short, it is doubtful if the general reader will conclude this
book with a specific sense of how recent archaeological discoveries and the evidence
of aerial reconnaissance have clarified our knowledge of Boudica's revolt. The
reviewer certainly did not. He could not escape the impression that this is an
unnecessary book; a brief article in Greeceand Rome, discussing recent accretions
to our knowledge through aerial reconnaissanceand archaeology, would have been
a more serviceable and less expensive contribution to the study of Boudica's
revolt.
J. Rufus Fears
Indiana University

Mdrchen und Magie in den "Metamorphosen"des Apuleius von Madaura. By

FRITZ ERIK HOEVELS. Studies in Classical Antiquity, vol. 1. Amsterdam:
Editions Rodopi, 1979. Pp. vii + 329. Fl. 65 (paper).
The title of this book does not indicate clearly its contents. The first Analytischer
Teil, making up some three quarters of the volume, is devoted solely to the tale
of Cupid and Psyche. The subsequent SynthetischerTeil consists of three fairly
independent chapters: the first discusses the ritual substrata of the tale, the
second develops psychoanalytic interpretations, extended both to the novel as a
whole and to its author, and the final one presents the GoldenAss as the primary

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 BOOK REVIEWS 245

expressionof late antiqueirrationalism.This bookis a revisedversionof a disserta-

tion (Freiburg,1977) with the principaladdition of the psychoanalyticessay.
There is a problemin such publicationsof what audienceis being addressed.
Secondaryliteratureof classicalphilologyis extensivelydiscussed,both in the
text and in footnotes, but there is almost no critical evaluationof the other
scholarlysourcesemployed.
In the analysisof the Cupidand Psyche, Hoevelsexaminessequentiallyeach
motifin the Apuleiannarrativeand tracesits originsin folktale,myth, or litera-
ture. Full documentationof the backgroundand of parallelsto the variousmotifs
is provided.The contradictionsresultingfromcontaminationare broughtout, as
are the comiceffects,whichstem particularlyfrom the literaryhandlingof gods
in the place of folktalecharacters.H. believesthe majorVorlagewas a folktaleof
Aarne-ThompsonType 425, but does not consider the difficultiesraised by
folkloristsand othersin establishingsuch a hypotheticalmodel.'
H. arguesagainstMerkelbach'sinterpretationof the tale as an encodingof the
Mysteries.He sees the numerousparallelsas evidence of a commonorigin of
folktalesand myth in primitiveritual. Psyche's marriage-funeral, for example,
whichbelongedto the folktalemodel,is basedon the ritualsacrificeof a pharmakos.
In the replacementof the originalsnake-husband by Cupid,H. seesa hieros-gamos,
based on deflorationritualsand later taken up by the Mysteries.When Psyche
is taken into Cupid'spossession,the pharmakosis saved from death and taken
into divineservice.Psyche'sbetrayalof Cupidis analyzedas violationof a combi-
nationof taboos,of whichthe most basicis that of seeing.A repeatedinjectionof
Isiac ideologyis attributedto Apuleius'recastingof the tale as a mythos.
WhileH. sees only a minimumof Platonicallegoryin the narrative,muchof his
interpretationmay be termedallegorical,for it pointsto correspondences between
differentplanesof meaning.The meaningsare thoseof ritualand the unconscious
formedby the sexualexperienceof childhood.It is to thesesubjectsthat he turns
in part 2.
The discussionof the ritualsubstrataof the tale of Psycheis basedgenerallyon
the workof SaintyvesandPropp,andmorespecificallyon that of GeorgeThomson
and Eliade.The rootsof the folktalemodelin neolithicinitiationritesareexplored
in threeareas:death and rebirth,mishandlingof the genitals,and secretinstruc-
tion. There is an interestingdiscussionof Cupid'spalace as a realm of death,
while Psyche's experienceis furtherrelatedto deflorationrituals.The common
originof folktalesand Mysteriesis explainedin termsof the transformation from
moreprimitiveuniversalinitiationto the moreexclusiverites of a shamanistic
stage of culture.The burgeoningMysteriesof late antiquityare seen as a kind of
revived primitivism.
In the psychoanalyticchapterthe approachis strictly Freudian,and Jungian
studies receive no mention.2H. treats first the folktale materialand then the
1. D. Fehling, Amor und Psyche: Die Schopfung des A pulkius und ihre Einwirkung auf das Mar-
chen, eine Kritik der romantischen Marchentheorie (Mainz, 1977), although it appeared the same
year as H.'s dissertation, does build on previous criticism; cf. my review of Fehling, CP 76 (1981):
164-66.
2. E.g., M.-L. von Franz, A Psychological Interpretation of the "Golden Ass" of A pulkius (Zurich,
1970).

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246 BOOKREVIEWS

Apuleianadditionsin the tale. Within the formerhe distinguishesan original

femininefolktalewhichin later retellingsby menreceivedan overlayof elements
stemmingfrom the male unconscious.The rivalry of Psyche and her sisters is
derivedfromthe folktaleexpressionof the feminineOedipuscomplex,in whichthe
originalcombatantswere daughterand mother.This Oedipalconflictis further
expressedin Psyche'sbecominga substituteVenus.The fantasyof marriage-death
associatedwith Cupidin the tale is seen as supportinghis identificationwith the
father in the Oedipalscheme,since that fantasy arises from the incest taboo.
Mother-daughter rivalryexplainsthe intensityof Venus'jealousyand hatred.
Male unconsciouswish-fulfillment is revealedin Cupid'schoiceof his mother's
replacementas his love. Whilethe deadlytasksandjourneyare meansof expiating
unconsciousguilt, the happy reunionat the end of the Apuleiannarrativeis the
author'savoidanceof the evil end of the mother,step-mother,or mother-in-law
figurein the original.
Beyondtheseinterpretationsof the underlyingfolktalematerial,H. proceedsto
trace distinctivefeaturesof the Apuleianversion to the author'sunconscious
drives.The tabooagainstseeing,a developmentfromthe tabooagainstseeingthe
naked male genitalsand closely joined to a taboo against harming,serves as a
protectionagainstpenis envy and the threatof castration,the feminineresponse
to defloration.The innerunity of the novel is seen, I think justly, in the inter-
connectionof magic, sex, and submissionto the goddess.A full psychoanalytic
treatmentof the tabooof curiosityis presentedas explainingthis unity. The drive
for knowledge,initially sexual,is tied to self-assertion,again in originprimarily
sexual.Magic is a fantasy fulfillmentof such self-autonomy,in contrastto self-
abnegationin religion,in which the fantasy of poweris reservedfor the divine
motheror fatherfigure.H. tracesthe contrastof Isis, whomhe regardsas asexual,
to the numeroussexually aggressive,mostly older womenin the novel, to the
author'sownexperienceand fears.Lucius'findingsalvationin Isis is comparedto
Apuleius'own relationshipto Aemilia Pudentilla.Lastly, the fetish with hair,
evidencedin Lucius'responseto Fotis,is derivedfromthe maleinfant'sexploration
of his mother'sgenitals.
Much of this is originaland stimulating,but it does not providethe kind of
explanationH. claims.He acknowledgesthat the discussionof Apuleius'uncon-
sciousis speculative,sincewe have only limitedevidence.The basisof his psycho-
analytic approachin general,however,is almost exclusivelywork of the first
decadesof this century. Furthermore,he treats the pioneeringstudies of Karl
Abrahamand Freudas demonstratingscientifictruths independentof any social
or culturalcircumstances.Thereis, of course,evidenceof the phallusin ancient
cults, and it is cited. But the circumstancesof family life, child rearing,and so
forth are hardly so constant that clinical formulationsof the early twentieth
centurycan be transferreduncriticallyto the highempireany morethan to a neo-
lithicfolkculture.Suchcriticismcannotbe fairlydismissedas simplyanotherform
of psychoanalyticresistance.The refinementand validation of psychoanalytic
conceptsis a vast and ongoingenterprise.How and within what limits they can
be appliedto ancientmaterialsare questionswhichneed to be raised.
In the concludingchapterH. sets forththe claimthat Apuleiuswas the "mode-

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 BOOKREVIEWS 247

setter" of late antique irrationalism. Africa is asserted to have been the most
advanced province in this regressive movement, and parallels between Apuleius
and Augustine are outlined. A contrast between the classical ideal of the autono-
mous intellectual and the religious ideal of surrenderto the divine will is eloquently
enunciated. As intellectual history, however, this chapter is thin. Earlier and
contemporary developments in the Eastern and European provinces are not
adequately considered. There is little examination of the nature of cult activities
by different segments of society throughout antiquity. H. traces the roots of
the hostility to science, revealed in the prohibition of curiosity, to the repression
of childhood sexuality. He then asks why in the equally repressive early modern
period there was a flowering of science. His answer is provided in a discussion of
the contrast between the early Faust legend and the tale of Lucius in terms of
effective technology replacing magic based only on fantasy. These pages make
good reading, but a disjointed conclusion to the book.
Much learning has gone into what amounts to a commentary on the Cupid and
Psyche in the first part of this volume, and much can be learned from it. In chapters
of the second part, H. tackles interesting questions and does not shrink from trying
to answer them in terms of major disciplines of our time. One might simply
respond to them as stimulating essays, but they are presented here as if they were
cumulative and offered a scientifically sure basis for understanding the meaning
of Apuleius' work. The views applied are by now widely disseminated and often
out-of-date. There is no consideration of the problems in method or content in
these areas, nor could there be, given the wide range of issues discussed.
Carl C. Schlam
The Ohio State University

Epiktet: "Vom Kynismus." Herausgegeben und ubersetzt mit einem Kommentar

von MARGARETHE BILLERBECK. Philosophia Antiqua, vol. 34. Leyden: E. J.
Brill, 1978. Pp. xvi + 188. Fl. 64 (paper).
I am guiltily conscious of not having hitherto taken Epictetus very seriously as
a philosopher. Even now I am not too sure, but I must say that Dr. Billerbeck's
exhaustive study of Discourse 3. 22, Epictetus' diatribe on the Perfect Cynic
Philosopher, has raised my estimate of him considerably. I commend it as an
excellent introduction to Epictetus' thought and style in general, as well as a
comprehensive study of the concept of the ideal Cynic in later antiquity.
The problem of the transmission of Epictetus' discourses is well known. Like
Socrates, he wrote nothing himself, and his conversations were recorded by his
pupil and admirer, the historian and administrator Arrian. Arrian claims in his
preface to be making faithful transcripts, and certainly the style of the discourses
is much more colloquial and lively than that of Arrian's other works, but such
protestations in the ancient world can never be taken quite seriously, and the
formal structure of 3. 22 lends strong support to the thesis of T. Wirth,' to which
B. subscribes, that Arrian's work is rather more like Xenophon's Memorabiliathan
1. "Arrians Erinnerungen an Epiktet," MH 24 (1967): 197-216.

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