Figura efebosa i hermafrodyty w literackim dyskursie o pięknie (nie)męskości
The Figure of Ephebe and Hermaphrodite in the Literary Discourse on the Beauty of (Un)Masculinity
Author(s): Barbara ZwolińskaSubject(s): Anthropology, Philosophy, Gender Studies, Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Psychology, Music, Architecture, Visual Arts, Studies of Literature, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Aesthetics, Sociology, Ancient World, Theology and Religion, German Literature, Greek Literature, Polish Literature, Culture and social structure , American Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: ephebe; hermaphrodite; Narcissus; Dionysus; (non)masculinity; canon of beauty; mythology; Eros; Thanatos; Stanisław Wyspiański; Karol Szymanowski; Tomasz Mann; Tadeusz Różewicz; Joanna Bator; Madeline Miller
Summary/Abstract: In this article, I conduct a comparative analysis of several selected literary works in terms of the motif of youthful beauty that appears in them, the genesis of which can be linked to the figure of the ephebe, present in ancient art, mythology and literature. The discourse emerging from this comparison concerns not only the canon of (non-)masculine beauty, but also non-heteronormative eroticism and crossing the binary of gender. The authors, referring to the works of Plato (The Symposium, Phaedrus) or the Homeric story of the fate of Achilles and Patroclus from The Iliad, revise and transform ancient patterns, inscribing them in contemporary realities and historical and literary contexts.
Journal: ER(R)GO. Teoria-Literatura-Kultura
- Issue Year: 1/2026
- Issue No: 52
- Page Range: 25-50
- Page Count: 26
- Language: Polish
