Prosimetro e romanzo: Apuleio, Metamorfosi

The article examines the limited occurrence of prosimetrum in Apuleius’ Metamorphoses. Two contextual factors are considered: (1) the presence of prosimetrum within the ancient narrative tradition; and (2) Apuleius’ poetic skill, demonstrated not only by fragments of his lost works, but also by the Apologia and the Florida. The study analyses the two verse insertions (Met. 4,33,1f. and 9,8,2), both related to the prophetic and oracular tradition, from which they nevertheless diverge in their metrical choices. The evidence suggests that the scarcity of prosimetrum is a meaningful feature within the poetics of Apuleius’ novel and its relationship to its models.