Venus-uoluptas, Vénus vagabonde et Vénus conjugale : plaisir sexuel et désillusion dans le De rerum natura
The end of book 4 of De rerum natura is enigmatic for any reader well versed in Epicurean doctrine: beyond the Epicurean orthodoxy that warns us of the pleasures of love, book 4 actually insists on many joyful and pleasurable aspects of sexuality, subsumed under the figure of Venus, which Lucretius...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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ENS Éditions
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Aitia |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/aitia/7886 |
| Summary: | The end of book 4 of De rerum natura is enigmatic for any reader well versed in Epicurean doctrine: beyond the Epicurean orthodoxy that warns us of the pleasures of love, book 4 actually insists on many joyful and pleasurable aspects of sexuality, subsumed under the figure of Venus, which Lucretius depicts as beneficial from the very beginning of book 1. This paper argues that the Lucretian Venus is both a subversive and a positive figure of sexuality, and that this does not contradict the rejection of all forms of passion, for amorous disillusionment is the very condition allowing for beneficial sexuality. The Lucretian investigation into aphrodisia thus extends the principles of Epicurean ethical calculation to sexual activity. |
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| ISSN: | 1775-4275 |