| He offers a stimulating discursus on Apuleius' use of 'lepidus' and 'festivus' and their function in the repertoire of canonical classical authors. |
| A discursus on utopia follows, beginning with Georg Lukacs and Ernst Bloch on expressionism and proceeding to Marcuse. |
| This discussion also includes a fascinating discursus on Raphael's tomb, planned by the artist himself, and its subsequent history. |
| The book opens with a survey of the subject in pre-classical and classical law, follows with the pre-literary period, and ends with a discursus on the pre-Islamic period. |
