Archivi delle emozioni (E-Journal)
Not a member yet
64 research outputs found
Sort by
Andromache’s Swoon: the Fainting Female in Homer and Plutarch
Full text linkGraeco-Roman fainting is a generally understudied subject. Homeric syncopes appear in an overview by Alfons Nehring 1947, who notes that the percentage of male fainting incidents is considerable, whereas female episodes are less common. Although Homeric fainting is not strictly gendered, it typically functions as a commentary on a character’s weakened vulnerability when the character in question is either elderly or female. This article examines one crucial episode of female fainting through the character of Andromache in Iliad 22 and explores her subsequent influence in Plutarch’s Parallel Lives. Plutarch develops this paradigm in the Lives of Pompey and Brutus, as the works feature lively moments of feminine lament, fear, and collapse. Plutarch’s anecdotes of the swoons from the Late Republican Julia, Cornelia, and Porcia are prime instances of embodied emotion that can be traced back to Andromache’s swoon. Ultimately, the transformation of the Andromache paradigm perceived in Plutarch illustrates how this literary tradition of the gendered swoon has evolved gradually.
 
Love and Love-making in Lucretius’ De rerum natura
Full text linkLucretius famously concludes the fourth book of De rerum natura with an account of love; reading that finale as the analysis of an emotion, rather than a diatribe against it, shows that what Lucretius offers is not a cure for love, but a path to experiencing amor in a way that is both Roman and Epicurean. To that end, challenging the traditional interpretation of DRN 4, 1263-77 – namely, that wives have no need to please their husbands sexually and take little or no pleasure in sex themselves, this study argues that according to Lucretius there can and should be mutuality and reciprocity in love and its pleasures. Male or female, human or (other) animal, the position adopted by a mating pair during sexual intercourse reflects and embodies their emotions, and thus illuminates the complex neurophysiological processes and ethical choices behind them. Love, sex and marriage can coexist; when that happens, love and the pleasures of love-making are mutual, natural and necessary and ‘doggie style’ is the natural choice for coupling – or so Lucretius teaches.Lucretius famously concludes the fourth book of De rerum natura with an account of love; reading that finale as the analysis of an emotion, rather than a diatribe against it, shows that what Lucretius offers is not a cure for love, but a path to experiencing amor in a way that is both Roman and Epicurean. To that end, challenging the traditional interpretation of DRN 4, 1263-77 – namely, that wives have no need to please their husbands sexually and take little or no pleasure in sex themselves, this study argues that according to Lucretius there can and should be mutuality and reciprocity in love and its pleasures. Male or female, human or (other) animal, the position adopted by a mating pair during sexual intercourse reflects and embodies their emotions, and thus illuminates the complex neurophysiological processes and ethical choices behind them. Love, sex and marriage can coexist; when that happens, love and the pleasures of love-making are mutual, natural and necessary and ‘doggie style’ is the natural choice for coupling – or so Lucretius teaches
Melting as a Metaphor of Embodied Emotions in Homer and Euripides
Full text linkMetaphors of melting (τήκειν) applied to human beings or parts of their bodies have a long and complex history in ancient Greek literature. This paper focuses on Homer and Euripides and examines how metaphors of melting are or can be used to describe embodied emotions, thus forming ‘primary’ or ‘correlational’ metaphors in the sense of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. In Homer, the most common target of melting metaphors is weeping, but we also find cases where the association with bodily experience remains more open. Euripides sometimes constructs more daring melting metaphors, especially cases referring to abstracta or the relatively new concept of the soul. Even in these cases, however, the context mostly suggests an association with embodied emotions; when the tragedies were performed, this bodily dimension of the emotions was probably even visible on stage. Overall, while Homer’s and Euripides’ melting metaphors differ due to literary factors and evolving anthropological concepts, they share a strong interest in emotion as bodily experience.Metaphors of melting (τήκειν) applied to human beings or parts of their bodies have a long and complex history in ancient Greek literature. This paper focuses on Homer and Euripides and examines how metaphors of melting are or can be used to describe embodied emotions, thus forming ‘primary’ or ‘correlational’ metaphors in the sense of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. In Homer, the most common target of melting metaphors is weeping, but we also find cases where the association with bodily experience remains more open. Euripides sometimes constructs more daring melting metaphors, especially cases referring to abstracta or the relatively new concept of the soul. Even in these cases, however, the context mostly suggests an association with embodied emotions; when the tragedies were performed, this bodily dimension of the emotions was probably even visible on stage. Overall, while Homer’s and Euripides’ melting metaphors differ due to literary factors and evolving anthropological concepts, they share a strong interest in emotion as bodily experience
Speaking Volumes with a Gaze: Emotions through the Eyes in Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica.
No full textA distinctive feature of Argonautica’s narrative is the vivid depiction of emotions and feelings. Indeed, Apollonius Rhodius reports psychological processes with great objectivity, explaining and precisely narrating their physical embodiment. In this paper, I explore Apollonius’ concept of the body’s resonance with emotion, with particular attention to how this is expressed through the gaze. The analysis delves into the significance of “looking downward” and “looking from below”. The first part of this study presents an overview of references to the gaze in the poem, followed by an analysis of two specific verbal creations (κατηφιάω and ὑπόφραζομαι) which allow for a deeper exploration of the semantic and literary meaning of the act of looking downward and from below.
Elemento peculiare della narrativa delle Argonautiche è la rappresentazione vivida di emozioni e sentimenti: con gusto tutto alessandrino, Apollonio Rodio riferisce i processi psicologici con grande oggettività, raccontandone precisamente l’incarnazione fisica. Nel presente contributo si indaga il valore che Apollonio conferisce a una specifica risonanza corporea dell’emozione, che si manifesta attraverso lo sguardo, con particolare attenzione all’atto di guardare verso il basso e dal basso. A tale fine si delinea un quadro complessivo delle attestazioni relative allo sguardo nel poema, cui segue l’analisi di due creazioni verbali (κατηφιάω e ὑποφράζομαι), che consentono di approfondire la valenza semantica e letteraria dell’atto di volgere lo sguardo verso il basso e di guardare dal basso.
 
When Poetry becomes Emotion: Embodying Compunction in selected Katanyktic Poems from the Middle and Late Byzantine Period
Full text linkThis article presents an analysis of the somatic effects of κατάνυξις (“compunction”), a prominent emotion within the Byzantine penitential tradition, as depicted in Middle and Late Byzantine katanyktic poetry. These texts provide a unique lens through which to examine Byzantine conceptions of interiority. Following an initial overview of katanyktic poetry and its defining characteristics, this study elucidates the concept of compunction and its significance within the Byzantine cultural and religious context. Subsequently, the corpus of texts selected for analysis is delineated. Finally, the article explores the corporeal manifestations of κατάνυξις in penitents, with specific consideration given to the physical mortifications employed as expressions of inner repentance. The analysis reveals that the Holy Scriptures served as a primary source of models for penitential behavior and provided vivid imagery for the representation of compunction.Il presente articolo analizza gli effetti somatici della κατάνυξις (“compunzione”), un’emozione di spicco nella tradizione penitenziale bizantina, così come emerge nella poesia catanittica del medio e tardo periodo bizantino. Questi testi offrono una prospettiva singolare per studiare le concezioni bizantine dell’interiorità. Dopo una rassegna introduttiva della poesia catanittica e delle sue peculiarità, lo studio approfondisce il concetto di compunzione e la sua importanza nel contesto culturale e religioso bizantino. Viene poi specificato il corpus di testi scelti per l’indagine. Infine, l’articolo esamina le manifestazioni corporee della κατάνυξις nei penitenti, con particolare attenzione alle mortificazioni fisiche utilizzate come espressione di un pentimento profondo. L’analisi dimostra come le Sacre Scritture abbiano costituito la fonte principale di modelli per la condotta penitenziale e abbiano offerto un immaginario potente per raffigurare la compunzione
Editorial
Full text linkSebbene sia ampiamente accettato che le emozioni siano collegate al corpo, la natura precisa di questa connessione rimane difficile da definire. Recenti teorie provenienti da diversi campi suggeriscono un’interazione piuttosto flessibile tra stati corporei e categorie di emozioni, in cui i contesti sociali o culturali giocano un ruolo importante. Queste teorie generalizzanti sono utili per comprendere la natura delle emozioni, ma è importante integrarle con casi di studio provenienti da altri campi, tra cui la letteratura. I contributi di questo volume esemplificano diverse forme e aspetti dell’interazione tra emozioni e corpo, ad esempio le reazioni corporee involontarie in confronto alle espressioni di emozione controllate consapevolmente, o le esperienze soggettive in confronto a quelle intersoggettive – ma anche la difficoltà o l’impossibilità di classificare le emozioni incarnate in categorie ordinate.While it is widely accepted that emotions are connected with the body, the precise nature of this connection remains difficult to pin down. Recent theories from different fields suggests a somewhat flexible interplay between bodily states and emotion categories, in which social or cultural contexts play an important role. Such generalising theories are helpful to understand the nature of emotion, but it remains important complement them with case studies from other fields, one of them being literature. The contributions to this volume exemplify different forms and aspects of the interplay between emotions and the body, e.g. involuntary bodily reactions vs. consciously controlled expressions of emotion, or subjective vs. intersubjective experiences – but also the difficulty or impossibility of sorting embodied emotions into neat categories
F. M. Dostoevskij between psychosomatics and pragmatics of communication, or between ‘unconscious’ and ‘tension to the unsaid’.
No full textIl presente lavoro intende indagare le diverse strategie dialogico-somatiche che contribuiscono allo sviluppo della complessità di Raskol’nikov, il protagonista di Delitto e castigo. Si intende qui proporre una ricerca che, superando l’obsoleto approccio psicologico all’opera di Dostoevskij, evidenzi la capacità dello scrittore russo di dare voce letteraria alle conseguenze dei due aspetti del “non detto”: quello inconsapevole o inconscio e quello consapevole, volutamente taciuto. Sulla base delle teorie di M. Bachtin riguardanti l'utilizzo della "seconda voce" nei personaggi, emergono le modalità attraverso cui Raskol'nikov esprime le sue emozioni, ovvero attraverso il dialogo interno e tramite intrighi corporei: questi a volte reificano una sofferenza inconscia, a volte invece interpretano la reazione al conflitto fra ciò che si vorrebbe dire e ciò che viene taciuto in modo volontario. Se dunque nel primo caso si può parlare di psicosomatica, nel secondo ci si inoltra nel campo della pragmatica della comunicazione che, tra gli altri temi, affronta anche quello della relazione tra il linguaggio verbale e quello non verbale.This work aims to investigate the different dialogic-somatic strategies that contribute to the development of the complexity of Raskol’nikov, the protagonist of Crime and Punishment. The aim here is to propose a research that, overcoming the obsolete psychological approach to Dostoevsky's work, highlights the Russian writer's ability to give literary voice to the consequences of the two aspects of the "unsaid": the unaware or unconscious one and the conscious one, intentionally silenced. On the basis of M. Bachtin's theories regarding the use of the "second voice" in the characters, the ways in which Raskolnikov expresses his emotions emerge, namely through internal dialogue and through bodily intrigues: these sometimes reify an unconscious suffering, sometimes instead interpret the reaction to the conflict between what one would like to say and what is voluntarily silenced. If in the first case we can speak of psychosomatics, in the second we enter the field of pragmatics of communication which, among other themes, also addresses the relationship between verbal and non-verbal language
Dalle emozioni alle atmosfere emotive
Full text linkFuture research on emotions must account for the constitutive role of emotional atmospheres, conceived as spatially and temporally extended affective configurations that mediate both the production and reception of artistic works. In literature, theatre, and other aesthetic practices, analytical methodologies need to integrate the premise that material entities are not inert but participate in affective relationality, exerting agency through their capacity to generate and modulate sensory-affective responses. Emotional atmospheres are not ancillary but foundational to all intersubjective experience. Furthermore, they must be situated within theshifting ontologies of artistic space, increasingly shaped by virtuality, interactivity, and modes of immersion that challenge traditional notions of aesthetic distance and passive spectatorship.Future research on emotions must account for the constitutive role of emotional atmospheres, conceived as spatially and temporally extended affective configurations that mediate both the production and reception of artistic works. In literature, theatre, and other aesthetic practices, analytical methodologies need to integrate the premise that material entities are not inert but participate in affective relationality, exerting agency through their capacity to generate and modulate sensory-affective responses. Emotional atmospheres are not ancillary but foundational to all intersubjective experience. Furthermore, they must be situated within the shifting ontologies of artistic space, increasingly shaped by virtuality, interactivity, and modes of iimmersion that challenge traditional notions of aesthetic distance and passive spectatorship
Le corps comme point de départ de la psychologie : la description de la folie amoureuse dans le Phèdre de Platon (250e1-252a1)
Full text linkIn a very famous passage, Plato gives a poetic description of the feeling of love, which is compared to the growth of wings and feathers in the whole soul. In this article, I would like to show that this description can be read in a psychological way, in the sense that it actually describes the behaviour of the three faculties: the θυμός, the ἐπιθυμία and the λόγος. The occurrences of each important word in the description of wing growth show that they all have a psychological meaning in Phaedrus or in other dialogues. This interpretation proves that the Phaedrus 250e1-252a1 is not only a poetic description of love, but also a reflection on the soul and its interactions with its body. The madness described by Plato concerns only the λόγος, while the θυμός tries to control the ἐπιθυμία, which is reinforced by the sight of the beautiful young man. This proves that the θυμός is much more active than the description of the white horse shows, which is consistent with the psychology of the Timaeus.In un passo molto famoso, Platone fornisce una descrizione poetica del sentimento amoroso, paragonandolo alla crescita di ali e piume in tutta l’anima. In questo articolo, vorrei mostrare come tale descrizione possa essere letta in chiave psicologica, nel senso che essa rappresenta in realtà il comportamento delle tre facoltà: il θυμός, la ἐπιθυμία e il λόγος. Le occorrenze di ciascun termine rilevante nella descrizione della crescita delle ali mostrano che tutti hanno un significato psicologico nel Fedro o in altri dialoghi. Questa interpretazione dimostra che Fedro 250e1–252a1 non è soltanto una descrizione poetica dell’amore, ma anche una riflessione sull’anima e sulle sue interazioni con il corpo. La follia descritta da Platone riguarda soltanto il λόγος, mentre il θυμός tenta di controllare la ἐπιθυμία, che viene rafforzata dalla vista del giovane bello. Ciò dimostra che il θυμός è molto più attivo di quanto non suggerisca la descrizione del cavallo bianco, il che è coerente con la psicologia del Timeo
Il corpo innamorato de L’ Antigone Testimonianza di un poeta
Full text linkL’Antigone - la mia Antigone – ripropone qui il suo dispositivo fisico corporale al centro della sua proposizione d’essere: una proposizione che vuole testimoniarsi da una lingua scelta e dunque Maternale. È da lì che metterà in azione il suo corpo “innamorato”, il suo corpo politico capace di gesti politici e, lo farà, con un’evidenza poietica/poetica. In una tragedia ogni gesto ha la complicità di un rito; ha l’immedesimazione di un sacrificio. È questo che ho compiuto nella mia trans-scrittura de L’Antigone. Ho eseguito una mediazione corporea non con il testo ma con il personaggio stesso, conciliando con la sua fisicità, una storia che continua fino a oggi, fino a noi. L’Antigone. Recitativo per voce sola (The Antigone. Recitative for voice alone) is nota ‘rewriting’ but a real ‘trans-writing’. L’Antigone is no longer just a body belonging to a myth,but rather a ‘body-person’ who knows how to ask: how to ask about desire and its desire fora possible, desirable and livable time. L’Antigone claims from her body the body of the other.L’Antigone, in this writing, demands closeness. This is the focal point of the meeting betweenme and Antigone: love of the body, love for the body and love in the body whatever it may be.L’Antigone has herself told in a poetic way through the use of a ‘maternal’ language: that languagethat each of us must be able to learn anew