Magic in Apuleius’ ›Apologia‹

Despite the growing interest in Apuleius’ Apologia or Pro se de magia, a speech he delivered in AD 158/159 to defend himself against the charge of being a magus, the only comprehensive study on this speech and magic to date is that by Adam Abt (1908). The aim of this volume is to shed new light on the extent to which Apuleius’ speech reveals his own knowledge of magic, and on the implications of the dangerous allegations brought against Apuleius. By analysing the Apologia sequentially, the author does not only reassess Abt’s analysis but proposes a new reconstruction of the prosecution’s case, arguing that it is heavily distorted by Apuleius. Since ancient magic is the main topic of this speech, an extensive discussion of the topic is provided, offering a new semantic taxonomy of magus and its cognates. Finally, this volume also explores Apuleius’ forensic techniques and the Platonic ideology underpinning his speech. It is proposed that a Platonising reasoning – distinguishing between higher and lower concepts – lies at the core of Apuleius’ rhetorical strategy, and that Apuleius aims to charm the judge, the audience and, ultimately, his readers with the irresistible power of his arguments.

Leonardo Costantini, University of Freiburg, Germany.

"Costantini mostra, neste estudo, um conhecimento profundo não apenas da obra
de Apuleio em todas as suas variantes, do romance à filosofia, mas também de um vasto
leque de autores da Antiguidade Clássica que tratam temas de magia, de filosofia ou de
medicina, que possam, de algum modo, relacionar-se com a abundância de temas dos
vários capítulos." Gabriel A. F. Silva in: Euphrosyne 48/2020, 453-454.

"La scelta di effettuare un’indagine che sostanzialmente segue lo stesso percorso
ospitato dall’Apologia consente a Costantini di esplorare senza scorciatoie il
complesso panorama apuleiano, con particolare attenzione alle sottili strategie
retoriche impiegate dal Madaurense. L’autore dialoga con una copiosa letteratura
secondaria e, pur misurandosi con differenti dibattiti critici, consegna al lettore
un’analisi chiara e ordinata." Maurizio Massimo Bianco in: Exemplaria Classica 24/2020, 373-377.