Fiction and History in Apuleius’ Milesian Prologue

Abstract In this chapter I shall argue that while Apuleius’ text is clearly marked for its readers as fiction, the Prologue’s phrases variae fabulae and sermo iste Milesius equivocate between introducing fiction or history to its addressee. This equivocation confronts Apuleius’ readers with the possibility that their own text differs radically from that of the Prologue’s addressee, even though both texts consist of the same words. In the ninth speech of the Florida, Apuleius claims to write works in every genre (omnigenus): epic, lyric, comedy, tragedy, satire, riddles, histories, speeches, philosophical dialogues, and others (alia), in both Greek and Latin. This boast is corroborated by the generic variety of his surviving texts and attested writings. Thus the attachment of Apuleius’ name to the Metamorphoses reveals nothing per se about the genre of the text to a first-time reader. Apuleius was as versatile as he was prolific, and works by him might be of any kind.