In the original myth of Cupid and Psyche, the goddess Venus becomes jealous of Psyche's celebrated beauty and instructs her son, Cupid, to make her fall in love with a monstrous creature. However, when Cupid gazes upon Psyche he falls in love with her himself - with complicated consequences. Couperus's Psyche is a modern fairy tale and symbolist masterpiece, which updates and elaborates the myth. Included in this volume is also Robert Graves's translation of the original story, entitled 'Cupid and Psyche', which first appeared in Apuleius's Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass).