Éros et Tyché dans le roman érotique grec
Eros and Tyche in Greek Erotic Novels

Summary/Abstract: Although ancient Greek erotic novels have long been considered, by comparison with the high genres of epic and tragedy, a form of subliterature devoid of value and canonical status, research conducted in recent decades has endeavored to recuperate them as works that were, if not necessarily valuable, then at least representative of their time. Several analysts have sought to identify in them a common structure or a pattern derived from rites of passage related to marriage, from ancient mysteries cults (primarily those of Isis), or from the traditional structure of the epic (dominated by the theme of the heroes’ return—nostos). Two forces can be identified in these love stories: one is centripetal and refers to biographical time, materialized in the stability of the couple, the family and the polis, and the other is centrifugal, relating to the time of adventure, which exposes the young protagonists to a series of misfortunes designed to test the quality and depth of their love. These two narrative vectors are symbolized by two divine instances, Eros and Aphrodite on the one hand, representing the forces of cohesion, and Tyche or Fortuna on the other, as the agent of rupture. The folk fairy tale Amor and Psyche and Longus’ novel Daphnis and Chloe are taken as case studies to demonstrate the interplay of these two opposing and complementary tendencies.

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