EROS Y PSIQUE

La fábula de Eros y Psique es uno de los mitos más bellos y significativos de toda la antigüedad clásica, y también, uno de los que mayor influencia ha ejercido sobre la literatura y las artes; no solo durante la época grecolatina sino a lo largo de la Edad Media y el Renacimiento, hasta el siglo XVIII. Una buena prueba de que aún no ha decaído es que, a mediados del siglo pasado; el escritor inglés C. S. Lewis escribiera su propia adaptación del mito después de haberla madurado durante toda su vida.

La única versión completa que conservamos de esta historia mitológica se halla inserta en medio de la variada 'trama de relatos que' integran la novela de Apuleyo, «El asno de oro», escrita en Cartago en el siglo II de nuestra era: Trágica y obscena, mística, y burlona, la novela de Apuleyo conserva todas las características de la literatura latina imperial, sin olvidar la esencia espiri¬tual alejandrina de la que también es heredera.

Apuleyo nació entre los años 114 y 125 en Madaura, África, en el seno de una familia de buena posición. Fue enviado a estudiar a Cartago, pero su padre murió a finales de esa etapa y recibió una importante herencia que le permitió dedicarse a viajar y seguir aprendiendo. Completó su formación en Atenas y Roma y volvió a Cartago a dar conferencias como sofista. En un viaje a Alejandría cayó enfermo y se alojó en casa de la madre de su amigo íntimo Ponciano, al que conoció en Atenas. Esta estancia se prolongó un tiempo y tuvo como resultado la boda entre Apuleyo y la madre viuda de su amigo. A la muerte de Ponciano, su hermano denunció a Apuleyo por engañar a su madre con magia, pero el escritor salió absuelto tras defenderse a sí mismo con el discurso conservado en su obra Apología. Tras los datos del pleito, la información sobre su vida es mucho más dudosa. Sabemos que El asno de oro fue una de sus últimas obras.

This presentation of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, beautifully-produced though it is, is less of a picture book than it is an illustrated adult text. Walter Pater, a nineteenth-century English essayist and art critic, originally published this selection as part of his philosophical novel, Marius the Epicurean, in much the same way that the original Cupid and Psyche was contained in Apuleius's 2nd century novel, The Golden Ass.

I found the language irritating in its artifice, as if Pater was attempting an "antique" style in his writing. The prose is so purple that the modern reader may become disgusted, as with this passage: "Venus, in the furiousness of her anger, tracks thy footsteps through the world, seeking for thee to pay her the utmost penalty; and thou, thinking of anything rather than thine own safety, hast taken on thee the care of what belongs to me!"

The reader would be well-advised not to look to Pater's version if they want an enjoyable and readable adaptation of this classic myth. The brilliant illustrations by Errol le Cain however, are definitely worth an examination - they are so delightful, that I awarded this book three stars, despite its unappealing text. These black and white, art-deco style pictures remind me somewhat of Kay Nielsen, and that is praise indeed! One wishes that some of le Cain's work was still available... ( )

Cupid and Psyche is an extract from The Golden Ass by Apleius featuring three stories from that compilation including Cupid and Psyche as well as two chapters from the main story. Cupid is the 12th book in the Pengiun Epics series and is easily the most beautiful. The romance of Psyche and her relationship with Cupid is tender and endearing. Compared with the other Epics, this is a tale with emotion and a sense of genuine feeling between two people. It is a narrative that stands up well compared to modern literature and is an absolutely excellent ancient text. The two chapters of Golden Ass are funny and irreverent. They show a wit and sense of the dramatic centuries ahead of writings of its time.

The Penguin Epics version of Cupid and Psyche is translated by E.J. Kenney who does a tremendous job in turning the original Latin into a flowing and easy read that reflects the beauty of the original. The work contains a very short note referring to The Golden Ass and the context these extracts sit within. The note does not add much value. However, Cupid and Psyche is a work that speaks for itself in its magnificence.

The first of the three tales is the story of Psyche and her love for Cupid. It begins very much in the tradition of the literature of aniquity. The jealous god Venus despises the beautiful Psyche because Venus hates the idea that others might turn heads and distract attention away from her. As a vengeful god, she imposes wrathful vengeance on the innocent Psyche at a whim. This is completely in step with the Latin and Greek narrative style, the vagaries and cruely of life being reflected in the gods who treat humans scornfully.

It does not take long though for this particular narrative to transcend those that came before. The relationship that develops between Psyche and Cupid is a wonderful romance. Cupid forbids Psyche from gazing upon him, creating an uncertainty in her despite the strong feelings she holds for the man she does not know is Cupid. That lack of finality adds a layer of tension to the relationship and makes it feel more passionate and intense.

Psyche is a lovingly drawn character. She is kind and giving, not letting her own internal doubts stand in the way of yielding to the pleasures of the bonds of mutual love. Still, she cannot resist giving in to temptation and eventually is pushed by her calculating sisters into gazing upon Cupid, injuring him in the process. From the height of a fantastic life filled with delights she is cast into suffering again by Venus.

Again though, Apuleius takes his narrative beyond anything that has come before. This time it is through Cupid. The winged cherub is no longer the mischievous child of earlier works. Under the pen of Apuleius Cupid has grown up. He stands up to his mother and instead of inflicting great pain on a human for the tiniest of slights as is often the classic in the literature of antiquity, Cupid reaches out to Psyche and bring her to a reasurringly happy ending with him. The reciprocation of love from Cupid to Psyche is a great treasure and brings this great short story to a beautiful conclusion.

Had the extract in this work only been Cupid and Psyche it would have been a five star work. The narrative flows effortlessly and the characters are so easy to engage with. The story is more sophisticated than most from antiquity and it features a seemingly genuine emotional bond between its principal cast members. The Penguin Epics edition also contains two other tales and these are written in an entirely different style. For Apuleius to have been a master of the style from his Cupid story is mightly impressive but for the other tales to be written in an altogether different style is awe-inspiring.

The two chapters from The Golden Ass are full of wit, banter, and irreverence. They are not at all like the light-touch elegance of Cupid and Psyche. The lead character Lucius relates a couple of stories from a journey featuring well known real people and places, treating the great with a satirical humour and developing an incredibly early venture into the surreal.

The first of the two pieces from The Golden Ass is Aristomenes Tale and features an interaction with Socrates. It is a re-imagined Socrates who did not die from the hemlock and who instead had found himself trapped by a witch. Socrates banters with the narrator and the pair exchange bawdy language and attempts to escape from their captivity. It is a ribald tale and seemingly heavily alcohol fuelled. The imagination of the narrator stretches but never breaks the disbelief of the audience. Cleverly, that audience is both the reader and other characters in the book. Those other characters occasionally test the credibility of the narrator which only adds to the desire to be on his side.

The first of the pieces ends with the other characters disagreeing as to whether that particular narrator spoke truth. The reader can easily discern that the alcoholic revelry most likely led to some of the outcomes the narrator believed to have happened. This gives the reader the sense of insider knowledge and makes the bizarre happenings of the tale all the more enjoyable.

The second piece is part of the longer tale of Lucius. In extract form it does not fully do justice to that tale and is instead an introduction to the fuller work. Lucius heads to the home of a wealthy potentate but is more interested in the women of that home. He wishes to learn from Milo the witch and engages his lust with the slave girl Photis. As part of a longer narrative, it is a more typical story than the other two parts of this work. The stand-out moment though takes place with the witches who seek to cut off the features of the dead. The moment when the reality of what happened during a night of vigilence has the makings of an excellent ghost story.

The three stories presented in this work are all very different. The utterly dazzling Cupid and Psyche is truly beautiful. The laugh out loud funny Aristomedes Tale is a descent into the almost surreal surrounds of the imagination. The start of the story of Lucius tempts the reader to find out more from the full work. Of the narrative works in the Penguin Epics collection, this one is hard to equal. Apuleius is one of the great treasures of antiquity. ( )

Basically, a very coherent neoplatonic interpretation of Apuleius. ( )