Apuleius, the second-century sophist from Madauros in Roman Africa, was a prolific author. In addition to his most studied novel,
The Metamorphoses, many other works on a wide variety of subjects ranging from science and logic to agriculture were attributed to him in antiquity and in the medieval period. Many of these are lost and not all those that survive have been accepted as genuine by modern scholars. Among them, however, are an undoubtedly authentic group that can be labelled ‘rhetorical’ because they share the same flamboyant and exhibitionist style. These are the
Apologia, otherwise known as
Pro se de magia, the
Florida, and the
De deo Socratis. They are of great interest to the study of literature for three main reasons. First, they are worth studying for their own sake as…
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Citation: Hilton, John. "Rhetorical Works (Apologia or De magia; Florida; De deo Socratis)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 January 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34871, accessed 25 November 2024.]
