Metamorphoses of the butterfly in classical antiquity : from the female body to the soul of the dead
This dissertation explores the wide range of meanings assigned to the butterfly in classical antiquity. Although scholars have exclusively focused on its association with the soul in the Greco-Roman world, the butterfly was assigned a broader and more complex range of figurative meanings, specifically related to the erotic domain and the female body. The scope of this project is to investigate the metamorphoses that the symbol of the butterfly underwent in classical antiquity, and how, from being associated with female eroticism, it moved to symbolising the soul of the dead. My work starts in Chapter One with an analysis of the terminology assigned to the butterfly in Greece and Rome. Lexicographic and paremiographic sources remark upon the association between the butterfly and fire, with particular emphasis placed on lamps and torches. Thus, in Chapter Two I investigate how literary and artistic representations of the butterfly are symbolically intertwined with fire, sources of artificial light in particular, and the female world in Greek culture, with particular regard to the erotic domain. I continue my analysis of the butterfly's association with the erotic sphere in Chapter Three, where I analyse how
Blanco, Chiara
Butterfly ; Classics ; Gender ; Soul ; Female ; Body
Metamorphoses of the butterfly in classical antiquity : from the female body to the soul of the dead. This dissertation explores the wide range of meanings assigned to the butterfly in classical antiquity. Although scholars have exclusively focused on its association with the soul in the Greco-Roman world, the butterfly was assigned a broader and more complex range of figurative meanings, specifically related to the erotic domain and the female body. The scope of this project is to investigate the metamorphoses that the symbol of the butterfly underwent in classical antiquity, and how, from being associated with female eroticism, it moved to symbolising the soul of the dead. My work starts in Chapter One with an analysis of the terminology assigned to the butterfly in Greece and Rome. Lexicographic and paremiographic sources remark upon the association between the butterfly and fire, with particular emphasis placed on lamps and torches. Thus, in Chapter Two I investigate how literary and artistic representations of the butterfly are symbolically intertwined with fire, sources of artificial light in particular, and the female world in Greek culture, with particular regard to the erotic domain. I continue my analysis of the butterfly's association with the erotic sphere in Chapter Three, where I analyse how
metamorphoses classical_antiquity female_body soul dead explores wide_range meaning assign classical_antiquity although scholar exclusively focus association soul greco_roman world assign broad complex range figurative_meaning specifically_relate erotic domain female_body scope project_investigate metamorphosis symbol underwent classical_antiquity associate female move soul dead work start analysis terminology assign greece_rome source remark upon association fire particular_emphasis_place thus investigate literary artistic representation symbolically intertwined fire source artificial_light particular female world greek_culture particular regard erotic domain continue analysis association erotic sphere analyse