His Milesian Tales were a collection of erotic picaresque stories.

Italian poet best known for his chivalric romance epic, Orlando Furioso (1516).

The "airy spirit" in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Although Ariel is trapped under Prospero's command, Ariel is quite powerful himself, with a range of abilities and a host of followers beneath him. Ultimately, Ariel manipulates Prospero by appealing to his humanity in order to gain his freedom.

A Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer.

Emperor who ruled the Eastern half of the Roman empire while his younger brother Honorius ruled the western half.

Founder of the Scriblerus Club, which included Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift among the members. Arbuthnot authored a series of pamphlets originating the fictional figure John Bull, the personification of English national character.

See Burney, Fanny.

Émigré French general and adjutant to General Lafayette. In 1793 D'Arblay married Fanny Burney

Lucius Apuleius, also known as Madaurensis, after Madaura in Africa, where he was born, authored The Golden Ass (or Metamorphosis), a darkly comic tale or prototypical novel, which contains a version of the story of Cupid and Psyche.

Greek philosopher and mystic from the town of Tyana, now part of Turkey. He was author of a life of Pythagoras and is associated with Neopythagorean thought.