The Misadventures of Lucius the Donkey

The oldest surviving novel in history is literally about a guy accidentally turning himself

into a donkey. It is called The Golden Ass and the plot is absolutely unhinged.

This guy Lucius is obsessed with magic and tries to use a witch’s ointment to turn

into a bird. But he grabs the wrong jar and boom, he transforms into a donkey instead.

He spends the entire book getting kidnapped by bandits, beaten up, and almost cooked,

all while listening to everyone’s dirty secrets because they think he is just a dumb animal.

He finally turns human again by eating a rose, proving that ancient Romans were just

as messy and chaotic as we are today.