Apuleius' tale of Cupid and Psyche has been popular since it was first written in the second
century CE as part of his Latin novel Metamorphoses. Often treated as a standalone text Cupid
and Psyche has given rise to treatments in the last 400 years as diverse as plays masques
operas poems paintings and novels with a range of diverse approaches to the text. Apuleius'
story of the love between the mortal princess Psyche (or Soul) and the god of Love has
fascinated recipients as varied as Romantic poets psychoanalysts children's books authors
neo-Platonist philosophers and Disney film producers. These readers themselves produced their
own responses to and versions of the story. This volume is the first broad consideration of the
reception of C&P in Europe since 1600 and an adventurous interdisciplinary undertaking. It is
the first study to focus primarily on material in English though it also ranges widely across
literary genres in Italian French and German encompassing poetry drama and opera as well as
prose fiction and art history studied by an international team of established and young
scholars. Detailed studies of single works and of whole genres make this book relevant for
students of Classics English Art History opera and modern film.
