True History and Lucius or the Ass [ILLUSTRATED]
by Lucian
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'True History', Lucian's best-known and most entertaining work, is a parody of the tall stories of fantastic journeys narrated by famous poets and historians. With his trademark wit and humour, Lucian informs his readers that he means to tell nothing but lies and impossibilities, and warns them not to believe a word he says. The result is a comical masterpiece that influenced Western literature throughout the centuries, and works such as 'Gulliver's Travels' and 'The Surprising Adventures of show more Barn Munchausen'. 'Lucius or the Ass', a satirical novel charting the adventures of a young man who has been transformed into a donkey, is usually attributed to Lucian and is thought to be a source of Apuleius's 'Golden Ass'. show lessTags
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In “True History,” Lucian warns his readers that he “shall be a more honest liar than [his] predecessors” by telling the reader frankly that he has “no intention whatever of telling the truth” (pg. 4). The story begins with adventurers sailing west into the Atlantic Ocean, only to be blown to the Moon in a storm. There, they reside with Endymion who currently wars with Phaethon on the Sun as both parties seek to colonize Lucifer, the Morning Star, using bridges made from spiders’ webs. The two armies employ hybrid creatures, with the description of these bizarre animals taking up much of Lucian’s description. After the war’s conclusion, Lucian’s party returns to the Earth, where they travel to several outlandish show more islands, including one made of cheese. On a separate island, Lucian and his group meet various famous Greeks, like Epicurus, “the life and soul of the party” (pg. 42), Aesop, “much in demand for his talents as a raconteur” (pg. 42), and others, though the Sceptics were not present as they couldn’t decide if the island was real and Plato had gone to live in his Republic. On another island, “those who had written Untrue Histories,” such as Ctesias of Cnidos and Herodotus, find themselves in eternal torment (pg. 50). The story, in its greatest lie, ends with Lucian’s unfulfilled promise to tell his readers what happened to the party on a continent on the other side of the world.
In “Lucius or The Ass,” commonly ascribed to Lucian, the main character, Lucias, finds himself transformed into an ass through an accident while seeking to witness magic firsthand. The story closely follows Apuleius’s The Golden Ass, though in the end he transforms himself back into a human by eating a bouquet of roses at the circus. The punchline comes when he returns to the woman he fell in love with during his experimentation with magic, only to find his advances rebuffed as she was more impressed with his endowment as a donkey.
In his translation, Paul Turner worked to maintain the humor of Lucian, updating puns as necessary so that the effect would not be lost on contemporary readers. This Indiana University Press edition also includes gorgeous illustrations from Hellmuth Weissenborn. show less
In “Lucius or The Ass,” commonly ascribed to Lucian, the main character, Lucias, finds himself transformed into an ass through an accident while seeking to witness magic firsthand. The story closely follows Apuleius’s The Golden Ass, though in the end he transforms himself back into a human by eating a bouquet of roses at the circus. The punchline comes when he returns to the woman he fell in love with during his experimentation with magic, only to find his advances rebuffed as she was more impressed with his endowment as a donkey.
In his translation, Paul Turner worked to maintain the humor of Lucian, updating puns as necessary so that the effect would not be lost on contemporary readers. This Indiana University Press edition also includes gorgeous illustrations from Hellmuth Weissenborn. show less
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503+ Works 3,887 Members
Lucian, the wit and satirist, was a brilliant Greek writer in the time of the Roman Empire. He was born in Samosata, Syria. He traveled and lectured in Italy, Asia Minor, and Gaul; and in later life, held a government position in Egypt. Of nearly 80 works, the most important and characteristic are his essays written in dialogue form. "Dialogues of show more the Gods," which satirizes mythology; "Dialogues of the Dead," which are expositions of human vanity; and "The Sale of Lives," which satirizes various schools of philosophy. He is a good critical source for ancient art and for information about his literary contemporaries. "The True History," a nonsense fantasy and parody of adventure stories, influenced Rabelais, Swift 1), and Voltaire. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 883.01 — Literature & rhetoric Classical & modern Greek literatures Classical Greek epic poetry and fiction Pseudo-Callisthenes
- LCC
- PA4231 .A5 .T8 — Language and Literature Greek language and literature. Latin language and literature Greek literature Individual authors
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- English, Greek (Ancient)
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- ISBNs
- 5
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