In Search of Cupid and Psyche: Myth and Legend in Children's Literature

Apuleius: Questions 1

Weeks 1-3

The primary text for this section of the course is the "Cupid and Psyche" section of The Transformations of Lucius, Otherwise Known as The Golden Ass / a new translation by Robert Graves, from Apuleius, chapters 7,8 and 9. I have made this available as a web document (Apuleius.html); for easy reference, I have included the page numbers as they appear in the edition published by Farrar Straus, in 1951, eighth printing, 1972. These chapters have been published more recently as The Tale of Cupid and Psyche/ Lucius Apuleius; translated by Robert Graves. Boston: Shambhala, 1992. Glosses of the essential story (e.g., Bullfinch’s) are available as web documents on the internet, and are recommended reading.

In The Golden Ass,, the tale of Cupid and Psyche is told by an old woman who recounts the story of "Cupid and Psyche" in order to quell the fears of a terrified kidnap victim; we are going to read "Cupid and Psyche" as though it were told directly by Apuleius. Let's remember, by effacing the context of the story, we are inevitably distorting it; however, "Cupid and Psyche" does seem to stand on its own, and our authority for doing this derives from precedent:it has been interpreted as a unitary work since the fifth century when Fulgentius analyzed it as an allegory about Christ; in addition "Cupid and Psyche" has also been frequently published out of context, as a self-contained story: there has even been an independent publication of Graves’s translation, the one we are using as the "ground" for our explorations of children's literature.

 

Things To Do

Read the story once for plot, character, setting, style, and other conventions of Western narrative structure.

After reading some of the critical and supplementary material noted below, read again paying more attention to mythical and archetypal elements and symbollism, bearing in mind that myth is not a representation of experience, it is about experience; it is interpretive and therefore it is also about meaning.

Read Foundational myths (found.html)

Look on Internet for other versions of "Cupid and Psyche" (Bullfinch, etc.)

Read general theories of myth:read Guerin (guerin.html)

Read general psychoanalytic theories about Cupid and Psyche (see Bettleheim. html, Neumann.html, etc.)

Read Mythic Elements of Cupid and Psyche (elements.html)

Think about the following questions:

  1. To some extent, every analysis of "Cupid and Psyche" must come to terms with the allegorical implications of the characters’ names: Cupid or Eros stands for passion and the body, while psyche is the Greek word for feminine or spirit.
  2. What is the attitude of the story-teller to Psyche? Is he sympathetic or unsympathetic? Is Psyche treated like a type or an individual--or does it matter?

    How would you characterize the tone of the story? Is it light-hearted? Morbid? Does its outward lightness mask its profundity, or do its serious moments simply temper its true spirit of gaiety and romance? Is it what 20th century critics might call "black comedy?" or might once have called "screwball comedy?" Or are we diverted by superficial resemblances and kept from acknowledging something darkly disturbing about this fairy tale? What might be its appeal as children's literature?

  3. While we are thinking about superficial resemblances and diversion . . . Apuleius begins "Cupid and Psyche by telling us how beautiful all of the king’s daughters were: that it was "only just possible to find words of praise to describe the elder two." Yet, who can think of them as appearing anything other than homely? Does Apuleius truly mean for us to envision them as beautiful—and thus CAN WE TRUST HIS JUDGMENT? Or, is Apuleius w I n k I n g at us (so to speak)? Silently acknowledging that of course Psyche’s sisters were not really beautiful, but of course, a sophisticated citizen—much less a story teller--mustn’t say that! Soooo, hmmmm. If Apuleius is telling us one thing while implying its opposite, does that mean we CAN TRUST him, or CAN’T?
  4. Think why the relationship between Psyche and Cupid seems familiar. Are they the "type" of doomed young lovers? (A 2nd century Romeo and Juliet, for example?)
  5. Think why the relationships between Venus and Psyche, or Cupid and Venus seem familiar. Is Cupid a figure of reason or imagination? Is he simply two-dimensional, a pretty face, as it were?
  6. Think about other literary characters you have encountered that reflect aspects of Cupid, Psyche and Venus as they relate to each other (a good entry into possible paper topics! ;>)
  7. When Psyche arrives at Cupid’s Temple she becomes the ward of a host of invisible attendants. Who are these guys, anyway? Are they unreal or, at any rate, less real than Psyche?
  8. Psyche’s commitment to Cupid seems—let us say "dynamic": by turns she is enraptured by his words and deeds, then terrified by what he might be. What sort of person behaves this way—is this "childish" behavior?
  9. Speaking of instability, what kind of a husband keeps himself from his wife in the manner Cupid keeps himself from Psyche? (On the other hand, which of us is happy all the time?!)
  10. When Psyche resolves to look for Cupid, where does she go? Where would one begin to look for a god? Is this moment of hopelessness characteristic of the tone of the story?
  11. Why does Apuleius say it is "lucky" to be addressed by Pan? Is it lucky for Psyche? How?

Apuleius.html/\/\/ Chapter One: Apuleius \/\/\/ Apuleius-questions 2