Interpreting the anteludia (Apuleius, Metamorphoses 11.8)

I hope to show that the anteludia at Metamorphoses 11.8 are symbolic recapitulations of previous events in the novel’s plot, and that in particular, they recall past moments of peril for Lucius-ass, at an appropriate point where he is about to regain his human shape and pass into the apparent safety...