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Eros and Psyche is a narrative poem with strong romantic and tragic themes by English poet Robert Bridges Bridges was licensed as a physician in England until 1882 when he was forced to retire due to a lung disease. He would then devote the rest of his life to literary research and writing and would be appointed as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in 1913.

Bridges' Eros and Psyche retells the Eros (Cupid) and Psyche myth first recorded by Lucius Apuleius in his book The Golden Ass. The work received critical acclaim; Coventry Patmore expressing the opinion that Bridge's version would become the standard form of Apuleius myth.[2]

Critical Reception
While writing for the St. James Gazette in 1885, Coventry Patmore wrote a review on Bridges' version of Eros and Psyche. Patmore stated that Bridges's version of Apuleius's myth "will probably be the standard transcript" because he "takes the story as it stands." Patmore also adds that "Bridges writes neither above nor below himself."

Author C.S. Lewis also makes a mention of Bridges' Eros and Psyche in his book Till We Have Faces in the Notes section at the end of the book. Lewis says that authors such as Bridges and William Morris re-tell the Apuleius myth, but Apuleius remains the "source. Not an influence or a model."

In a study on Robert Bridges done by Albert Guerard, Guerard compares Bridges' version to the original tale by Apuleius. Guerard points out that Bridges made embellishments the Apuleius myth to make the tale appear more lucid and easier for the reader to understand. Guerard also compares certain excerpts from both the Apuleius version as well as Bridges'.

Bibliography

https://www.rct.uk/collection/1121523/eros-and-psyche-a-poem-in-xii-measures