Pedophilia of Destiny in Memoirs of Hadrian of Marguerite Yourcenar

Sun Ah PARK

doi:10.21049/ccs.2017.47..77

Memoirs of Hadrian is a representative historical novel of Yourcenar which focuses on the personal history of the Emperor Hadrian of Rome and on his inner side. This study focuses on the love story of Hadrian and Antinous, and examines the specificity of their love in relation to the homosexual culture of ancient Greece, especially pedophilia. Through this topic, we have analyzed the causes of the tragic death of Antinous by capturing the progression of a cycle of pedophilia, a young boy (Eromenos), that grows into manhood as Erastes. This study defines the emperor's efforts to restore Antinous in his own way after a failed love, as a passion toward totality. Therefore, we see the two figures as a process of mythology in which the pie of tragic destiny is transferred to the myth of androgyny that becomes one body and one unity in pedophilia. We see this ancient myth as a concept contrasting with the sense of pedophilia of the emperor, who arbitrarily distinguished between love and pleasure, and believed that the affection calculated with calmness and indifference was a harmony of love. This study explains the intention of Yourcenar in her work to present the value of empathic love, especially sacredness and sublime, which should be a part of sensual love. It also reminds us of the importance of sagacity that a person with power must hold in the happiest and most loving moments of life.

Citation status

KCI Citation Counts (1)
열림/닫힘 버튼
REFERENCES (14)
열림/닫힘 버튼
* 2021년 이후 발행 논문의 참고문헌은 현재 구축 중입니다.

[book] Yourcenar, Marguerite / 1980 / Les Yeux Ouverts – Entretien avec Matthieu Galay / Le Centurion : 73~

[book] Yourcenar, Marguerite / 1951 / OEuvres romanesques / Gallimard : 1982~

[journal] 박선아 / 2009 / L'autobiographie, le roman historique, la micro-histoire, au-delà de toute la frontière / 불어불문학연구 / 한국불어불문학회 (80) : 183~222

[journal] 윤일권 / 2009 / 고대 그리스 사회와 신화 속의 동성애 / 유럽사회문화 / 인문학연구원 1 : 5~28

[book] Biondi et Rosso, C. / 1988 / Voyage et connaissance dans l'oeuvre de Marguerite Yourcenar

[book] Biondi, Carminella / 1995 / Roman, Histoire et Mythe dans l’oeuvre de Marguerite Yourcenar / Société Internationale d’Etudes Yourcenariennes

[book] Blanckeman, Bruno / 2014 / Lectures de Marguerite Yourcenar : Mémoires d'Hadrien / Ed. PU Rennes

[journal] Doré, Pascale / 1999 / Affinités hellénistiques: l'Eros au masculin dans Le Coup de Grâce et Mémoires d'Hadrien / Société Internationale d'Etudes Yourcenariennes(SIEY) (20)

[journal] Durup-Carré, Sylvie / 1986 / L’Homosexualité en Grèce antique; tendance ou institution? / L’Homme 26(97-98)

[journal] Filaire, Marc-Jean / 2011 / Le centaure et le faon Antinous et l'animalité dans les Mémoires d'Hadrien / Société Internationale d'Etudes Yourcenariennes (SIEY) (32)

[book] Levillan, Heriette / 1992 / Mémoires d'Hadrien de Marguerite Yourcenar / Folio

[book] Vazquez de Parga, Maira José / 1995 / Histoire et Mythe dans l’oeuvre de Marguerite Yourcenar / Société Internationale d’Etudes Yourcenariennes

[other] / 1991 / Marguerite Yourcenar et le sacré (vol.1) / Centre international de documentation, bulletin n.3

[other] / 1992 / Marguerite Yourcenar et le sacré (vol.2) / Centre international de documentation, bulletin n.4

KJC Korea
Journal Central

Statistics

Tools

Sharing

Issue List

Citation status