Sexual Symmetry (ebook)

Argumento de Sexual Symmetry (ebook)

"In the Greek romances," writes David Konstan, "sighs, tears, and suicide attempts are as characteristic of the male as of the female in distress; ruses, disguises, and outright violence in defense of one's chastity are as much the part of the female as of the male." Exploring how erotic love is represented in ancient amatory literature, Konstan points to the symmetry in the passion of the hero and heroine as a unique feature of the Greek novel: they fall mutually in love, they are of approximately the same age and social class, and their reciprocal attachment ends in marriage. He shows how the plots of the novels are perfectly adapted to expressing this symmetry and how, because of their structure, they differ from classical epic, elegy, comedy, tragedy, and other genres, including modern novels ranging from Sidney to Harlequin romances.

Using works like Chaereas and Callirhoe and Daphnis and Chloe, Konstan examines such issues as pederasty, the role of eros in both marital and nonmarital love, and the ancient Greek concept of fidelity. He reveals how the novelistic formula of sexual symmetry reverses the pattern of all other ancient genres, where erotic desire appears one-sided and unequal and is often viewed as either a weakness or an aggressive, conquering power. Konstan's approach draws upon theories concerning the nature of sexuality in the ancient world, reflected in the work of Michel Foucault, David Halperin, and John Winkler.

Originally published in 1993.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

"David Konstan has staked out an ambitious project for himself, nothing less than a discussion of love--physical, spiritual, familial, either real or imaginary--in the ancient world. His accomplishment marks a major contribution to the field of ancient prose fiction and ancient erotics."--Gareth Schmeling, University of Florida0Preface A Note on the Spelling of Greek Terms Abbreviations Introduction 3 Ch. 1 The Greek Novel: Sexual Symmetry 14 Hapless Heroes 15 The Pederastic Paradigm 26 Mutuality versus Mastery 30 Love and Lust 36 Passion and Permanence 45 Constancy versus Chastity 48 Fidelity and Fate 55 Eros in the Novel 57 Ch. 2 Greek Novels: Variations on a Type 60 Achilles Tatius: The Hero as Voyeur 60 Chariton: The View of the Heroine 73 Longus: Passion and Puberty 79 Heliodorus: Sex and the Sacred 90 Ch. 3 Roman Novels: Unequal Love 99 Apollonius King of Tyre: Marriage and Incest 100 Petronius: Pederastic Passion 113 Apuleius: Desire and the Divine 125 Ch. 4 Before the Novel: Passion and Power 139 New Comedy 141 Elegy 150 Lyric and Epigram 160 Mime 162 Pastoral 167 Epic 170 Tragedy 175 Eros in Antiquity 178 The Novel 185 Ch. 5 Modern Novels: The Division of Desire 187 Aucassin and Nicolette: Sex and Status 188 Arcadia: Passion and Patriarchy 192 Pandosto: The Division of Desire 199 Pamela: Learning to Love 205 The Pulp Romances: Harlequin Heroines 211 Love in the Modern Novel 214 Ch. 6 Conclusion 218 Works Cited 233 Index 263