The Satyricon is deemed to be an early, if not the first novel homosexual. It is probably more widely read today, but it evokes in the minds of the sexual freedom or sexual innocence, which is associated to ancient times and known to be forever lost since the advent of Christian morality. It also floats a small perfume reading forbidden, certainly vented well today but we know that reputations are sometimes stronger than time.
Just a little history. This novel written Latin somewhere between the I st and II th century AD by an author named Petronius, we succeeded greatly mutilated. At best a quarter of the book would have been transmitted. What we read today are only fragments, not always assembled together, ending abruptly, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. This gives it a slightly disjointed, even a little surreal with pieces that are joined by [...], leaving the reader the pleasure and complete the missing links and pieces by his imagination. There are endless debates about the identity of the author and the date of composition. I will not go into this issue without much interest for us (but for my part, I appreciate very much). Those interested can go online to research the unlikely identity of Petronius (Wikipedia can be a gateway to multiple this debate, but as often, a little adamant in favor of a hypothesis)
There are probably many readings this novel, but I want to state the obvious: anything that can be read centers around love and sexual tribulations of a couple of men and Encolpius Giton. While we are in a relationship antique age difference, erotic relationship tinted protective or possession, asymmetry of gender roles, etc.. However, seeing it as a pederast relationship of Greek type, and between erastes eromene obscure the quality and strength of their love. Two quotes to illustrate this. Before, remember that the narrator, the "I" is Encolpius and the book is divided into 141 short chapters, which I used to reference citations.
The first quote at the reunion and Encolpius Giton (XCI):
"I kissed the chest full of wisdom. I would bury her in my arms and neck, for he heard that I was getting easy to thank you, that the best faith was reliving my love, long time, I hugged him to my heart. "
The second, when they are about to perish in a shipwreck (CXIV):
"stripping off his coat, wrapped my coat Giton, offers her lips to my mouth, and that the sea envious can not break a sweet embrace, it binds us to each other in the folds of a belt and: - That leaves us no hope! waves united we prevail forever. Perhaps mercifully, they drop me on the same shore. Perhaps one way we moved with compassion stealth throw some stones and finally, last hope, thanks to the insane waves, the arena [sand] we bury undulating.
But, richness and flavor of the evocation love of ancient, simple pleasures of love are not forgotten. From the beginning of the book (XI):
"Giton kissed me with all his heart. Me, linking the dear child in an embrace robust, I tasted the enjoyment of my wishes plenary and my transports were worthy of envy. Our delicacies were not yet exhausted, that income on tiptoe and breaking the door with fury, Ascyltos found me sporting my brother. Laughter, applause, it fills our galley, and lifting the carpet Balandras where we were: - What were you doing there, "he said, very prudish citizen? What! you're both under the same cover! "
This passage also helps to introduce one of the dominant themes of the book: the sexual rivalry, which Giton becomes the object but also the actor. Ascyltos," the indefatigable " Greek, will constantly want to rob Giton Enclope. By the way, we learn that Ascyltos says "had approvals of such weight that the whole man seemed addicted to her tiny Mentula [gender] prodigious" (XCII). It also earned him a "certain Roman knight, who is considered a distinguished fellow, covered him with his coat and took her home, apparently for the purpose only, to grab at him, a huge merit if ". These stories allow us to understand that this novel has been likened to a salacious book, and therefore prohibited. We recognize that this ban is a bit insipid. What is less clear that this "serenity in immodesty," ie, that simplicity in the evocation of sexual tribulations our heroes, their capabilities, beyond the strong homosexual relationship between them, to enjoy sexual adventures with this before them, men or women, all with a simplicity and naturalness remain disarming us.
I will not go today in a further analysis of this novel. Know that despite its very fragmentary, it is rich both in the romantic adventures as psychology and feelings of the characters. It offers several levels of reading, even for a modern reader. Even if I just focused on the gay and erotic dimensions of structure, it is especially important to reduce the that.
Today I just want to make a beautiful illustrated edition. Let me say straight away that, from my point of view and to my knowledge there is no illustrated edition of this novel that is at the height of the story and making it the strength for us. For those who discover the book by the illustrations, he does not even suspect that this is a gay novel. But before presenting this work, we must say a few words of the translation submitted.
In 1901, Laurent Tailhade, journalist and man of letters Libertarian, published an inflammatory article against the visit of Tsar Nicolas II in France, a real call to murder. That earned him a sentence of one year in prison. He uses this hobby forced to propose a new translation of the Satyricon, very personal, where he gives free rein to his taste for precious language, even a little abstruse. The excerpts quoted above may have surprised some strange turns of phrase, or hardly understandable. The translation is full of rare words and even invented: mérétrice, engeigner, subhaster, spatolocinède, vérécondie, etc.. Yet this translation was the most reproduced, probably because she stands by the living language, rich and abundant, unlike many translations a bit flat and cold. Moreover, it relies on a version of Satyricon was enriched in the seventeenth century by th fragments allegedly found a unit that bring the text. This scam, known as version Nodot, helped give a text more continuous and therefore more readable.
In 1910, the editor Louis Conard publishes short-run (171 copies) a new edition of this translation widely illustrated by Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse (1859-1938), a prolific illustrator and Orientalist painter. The book contains only four large compositions. The first, the frontispiece (see above), probably represents Giton a Giton very androgynous, in a lascivious pose.
The second episode shows the "wedding" with the young Pannychis Giton (XXV).
The third is a bit confused the banquet of Trimalchio.
The fourth recalls an episode from the end of the book, then is assigned a qu'Encolpe impotence tough (even Giton can no longer awaken his ardor). The scene depicted is the treatment of impotence by two old "witch Maupiti brush the inside of my thighs with the same linement. Then she made a juice of watercress and southernwood she sprinkles my penis, she seized a bundle of nettles and green flagellate myself gently from the umbilicus (CXXXVIII).
Rochegrossse declined to represent the pre-treatment: "At these words, she brings a phallus leather, the weight of a compound anointed with oil, cracked pepper, from seed to nettle powder and little by little, I inserted into the anus.
The rest of the artwork is composed of a multitude of small vignettes in the text (38 including 6 larger banded). Most are purely decorative. This image of a page will give an idea of the composition and richness of decoration that surrounds the text. This framework is reflected in all pages.
To those who would find this text, I advise to avoid the translation of Tailhade. It is more instructive on how to write some French in the late nineteenth century e on the development of an ancient text. There is an honest translation of Pierre Grimal (Paperback). In any case, I advise to skip the whole passage known as the feast of Trimalchio. Although one of the most famous pieces, he does not understand the profound unity of structure, built around the love between Encolpius and Giton. It may interest those that want to discover what a rich banquet in Rome. But this may annoy many readers, especially the need to refer to many notes, if we are to understand the text. For my part, I like the story that starts from Chapter 79, which then has a large unit and illustrates the importance of love between Encolpius Giton and with those struggles made of desires and jealousy about the "possession" of Giton.
A readable translation is that of Jean-Claude Feray, which has rightly chosen to delete this passage banquet (Edit Qunites-Sheets). For that, he renamed the book "Encolpius and Giton. This translation is complemented by a historical study that analyzes the book as a novel pederast, at the cost of fireworks over the age of Giton. This analysis does not convince me. Indeed, Giton has 16 years, as indicated in the text, which prevents to see the relationship Encolpius Giton and a pederast relationship in the strict sense, according to Greek mores. We're really in a Roman world and in a story of love between men (Encolpius must be much older. 20 years maybe?). Another attraction of this edition, a beautiful and unique anonymous translation of the late seventeenth century e, which allows you to enjoy the charm of this beautiful text in one language and subtle. There are many other translations, I'll let you discover.
For those interested in the history of this text and the many assumptions and discussions around it, I recommend reading the introduction Publishing in the collection of Satyricon Garnier Flammarion. François Desbordes takes the wise not to take sides, while presenting the various assumptions. Unfortunately, the translation is that of Tailhade, which risks alienating a few modern readers.
To finish this message, these few verses of Encolpius, after a night of love with Giton:
"What was that night, oh Lord, O Goddess!
How soft this bed! An embrace of fire!
And we transfusions, here and there in our lips ardent
Our souls wandering. Flee worries
Mortals! I am dying of fun! "
A small personal note
I found this text to 19 years by a paperback that I bought used in Lyon. Besides beautiful books I collect, I am pleased to maintain its modest copies that have opened the doors of gay culture:
Description of structure
The Satyricon Petronius
translation of Laurent Tailhade. Rochegrosse Illustrations.
Paris, Louis Conard, bookseller-publisher (Imprimerie Nationale), 1910, 4to (304 x 228 mm), [8] -296 - [1] pp., 4 large color illustrations in the text, including a frontispiece, 38 vignettes in the text, framing the text with a decorative color.
Rationale edition: 170 copies, which
- a copy of Imperial Japan
- 20 copies on Japan
- 150 copies on vellum stained.
This is No. 136. It is signed with the initials of the publisher.
The copy is bound in full parchment.
In French public libraries, there is only one copy in the reserve of rare books of the BNF (RES GZ-45).
Some links
On Wikipedia: The Satyricon
Lawrence Tailhade
Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse
0 comments:
Post a Comment