La force d’éros. Genre et fluidité érotique dans une société d’« avant la sexualité »

Abstract

L’analyse des façons dont les individus sont amenés à se reconnaître comme sujets de désir dessine un fort contraste entre notre modernité et les sociétés antiques. Au vi e siècle av. J.-C., en Grèce, l’œuvre de Sappho met en lumière l’importance donnée à l’élan érotique et non au sexe de la personne aimée. C’est dans cette dimension « transgenre » de l’Éros archaïque que puise Platon pour construire le discours d’Aristophane dans le Banquet , un passage cité par Freud dans ses Trois Essais sur la théorie sexuelle .

Sappho is Worth More Than A Discussion of Her Sexuality

“…31 to discuss ancient sexuality and, while remaining cognizant of the connotations modern words have when used in relation to antiquity, to show the support for an argument for true sexual fluidity before the concept of 'binary.' 19 In fact, in her article she argues that eros is a force that af-fects a person, causing feelings similar to the ones described by Sappho in her poem, which affect someone regardless of their gender. Boehringer compares Fr.…”

“…Boehringer then compares these feelings to heterosexual feelings in an attempt to show that eros is the same regardless of sexual preference. 20 Although Boehringer is using Sappho's work as a historical precedent for modern day sexual fluidity, she is effectively placing Sappho's work within her own cultural and social spheres. Accordingly, her analysis uses the details of how Sappho constructs her work as well as the nuances that indicate gender and moves into how the ideas present relate to the broader world around Sappho and carry into the modern day.…”

“…For example, we do not According to Boehringer, this poem was meant to be sung in public, not recited in the privacy of one's home. 23 If this is in fact the case, the poem is publicly declaring desire of one female for another and suggests a public acceptance of homoerotic relationships. While there is no concrete evidence of the acceptance or rejection of female homoeroticism in Sappho's time, many of her poems involve that theme and, as she has much poetry that was meant to be sung, it only stands to reason that this poem would have been no different.…”