CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Article Title

The Erotic Conception of Ancient Greek Landscapes and the Heterotopia of the Symposium

Authors

Jo Heirman, Gent

Abstract

In his article "The Erotic Conception of Ancient Greek Landscapes and the Heterotopia of the Symposium" Jo Heirman discusses the conception of natural landscapes in ancient Greek lyric poetry from the seventh until the fifth century BC and its ideological background. Heirman analyzes lyric poems by Sappho, Ibycus, and Theognis in which landscapes of fields, gardens, and meadows are presented. Heirman's analysis reveals a recurrent erotic pattern in the conception of ancient Greek landscapes constructed as places which suggest various forms of eroticism ranging from lesbian desire to homosexuality. Further, Heirman discusses the preoccupation with eroticism by suggesting a connection with the "symposium," i.e., the performance of lyric poetry. Building on Michel Foucault's concept of heterotopia, the erotic conception of the natural landscapes in lyric poems performed in the symposium is explained as the projection of eroticism that went beyond the urban norms of spaces outside of the city.

Recommended Citation

Heirman, Jo. "The Erotic Conception of Ancient Greek Landscapes and the Heterotopia of the Symposium." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 14.3 (2012): <http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.2047>

This text has been blind peer reviewed by 2+1 experts in the field.

The above text, published by Purdue University Press ©Purdue University, has been downloaded 217 times as of 06/17/13.