Sight as a Metaphor for Corruption and Redemption in Apuleius' Metamorphoses

C. Koenig (University of Iowa)

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the theme of sight in Apuleius' Metamorphoses consistent with the view that the work is a deliberate portrayal of spiritual corruption and redemption, much more than simply ribald entertainment.

P.G. Walsh tells us that "the central problem which confronts the interpreter of the romance is to decide whether Apuleius intended it merely as ribald entertainment, or whether he shaped it to be a fable, a story with a moral." His view of the book is that it a tale of fall and redemption, and this view is common to many interpretations that see an overall structure to the book. Such are Kenny and Scobie, citing respectively Heller and Warburton. Other interpreters such as Harrison, Sandys, and Tatum see that Lucius is delivered from his troubles, but not from spiritual destruction.

It is a mistake to ignore the clear themes of spiritual corruption and redemption when giving an overall interpretation of Apuleius' intent. One may, as Harrison, read the corruption and redemption themes as ironically undercut, but Apuleius' development of the theme must be taken into account. The paper will demonstrate that as he develops the theme of sight within a specifically Isiac framework, Apuleius is deliberately drawing a portrait of spiritual corruption and redemption. Scholars such as Slater and Peden have noticed aspects of the theme of seeing, but no one has treated it as a separate concept important to the overall structure of the book, and there has been no notice of the importance of the theme of corrupted sight, that is, sight which is illegitimate and motivated by corrupt passions, often symbolized by its corrupt objects, and the redemption of that sight.

In an effort to determine Apuleius' intent, the paper will examine his manipulation of his literary predecessors, the Onus of Pseudo-Lucian. A comparison of parallel passages in the two works shows that in contrast to the Onus, Apuleius' version uses the plot as a structure on which to develop thematic elements, including that of sight. For example, Onus-Lucius upon arriving in Hypata wants to see something incredible, like a man flying or being turned to stone, as though he were going to the freak show at the carnival. Apuleius-Lucius, in contrast, is eager to discover the weird and wonderful features of the place; he walks through Hypata observantly, and this culminates in his view of the Actaeon-Diana sculpture set, which Van der Paart argues is a traditional literary technique in which "the protagonist is confronted with a piece of art symbolizing his or her fate." Actaeon's sin is the archetypal expression of illicit gaze (as is Psyche's in Book 5). Likewise Lucius begins his descent to beastly corruption pursuant to the illicit viewing of his host's wife. Many of the episodes that follow express corruption in terms of sight. For example, Lucius (Bk. 8.29) tells us that his "eyes could not long endure" (Nec diu tale facinus mei oculis tolerantibus) the conduct of the catamites; later (8.12-13) Carite pierces the eyes of Thrasyllus, her husband's murderer and now her suitor, declaring that his were the eyes which to which she was perversely pleasing (oculi isti quibus male placui).

Sight is redeemed in the Isis book, which turns from corrupt to positive visual images and culminates in Lucius beholding the objects of the goddess' mysteries and her statues; in contrast to Actaeon's view of Diana, Lucius' view of the Isis objects and statue are legitimate and symbolize his redemption from corruption.