Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’Astrée

In the heart of the Forez, d’Urfé places the Fountain of the Truth of Love, which is endowed with magical properties: many travellers and local people aspire to look at themselves in the Fountain, in the hope of seeing the reflection of the person they love beside them. But since a second spell was...

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Main Author: Tony Gheeraert
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut du Monde Anglophone 2022-06-01
Series:Etudes Epistémè
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/13954
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author Tony Gheeraert
author_facet Tony Gheeraert
author_sort Tony Gheeraert
collection DOAJ
description In the heart of the Forez, d’Urfé places the Fountain of the Truth of Love, which is endowed with magical properties: many travellers and local people aspire to look at themselves in the Fountain, in the hope of seeing the reflection of the person they love beside them. But since a second spell was cast on the Fountain, it has become inaccessible, leaving the pilgrims uncertain of being loved. In this article, I propose to identify the various clues suggesting that the powers of this Fountain are evil, and that it has been sealed to avoid encouraging narcissism in lovers eager to contemplate themselves in the water. The magic Fountain, which is also a tomb, appears in fact as a symbol of self-love, in a work which is deeply marked by Salesianism and more generally by Christianity. It is doubtful that d’Urfé would have ended his novel with a restoration of the Fountain’s powers, as is the case in Baro's continuation: on the contrary, certain elements of the text suggest that the Fountain would have been completely disenchanted and returned to its original nature.
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spelling doaj-art-d58f9f736e804834b1dfe3ecaccc8f622025-08-20T02:32:48ZengInstitut du Monde AnglophoneEtudes Epistémè1634-04502022-06-014110.4000/episteme.13954Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’AstréeTony GheeraertIn the heart of the Forez, d’Urfé places the Fountain of the Truth of Love, which is endowed with magical properties: many travellers and local people aspire to look at themselves in the Fountain, in the hope of seeing the reflection of the person they love beside them. But since a second spell was cast on the Fountain, it has become inaccessible, leaving the pilgrims uncertain of being loved. In this article, I propose to identify the various clues suggesting that the powers of this Fountain are evil, and that it has been sealed to avoid encouraging narcissism in lovers eager to contemplate themselves in the water. The magic Fountain, which is also a tomb, appears in fact as a symbol of self-love, in a work which is deeply marked by Salesianism and more generally by Christianity. It is doubtful that d’Urfé would have ended his novel with a restoration of the Fountain’s powers, as is the case in Baro's continuation: on the contrary, certain elements of the text suggest that the Fountain would have been completely disenchanted and returned to its original nature.https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/13954pastoralAstréemagicFountain of the Truth of LoveUnicornslions
spellingShingle Tony Gheeraert
Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’Astrée
Etudes Epistémè
pastoral
Astrée
magic
Fountain of the Truth of Love
Unicorns
lions
title Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’Astrée
title_full Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’Astrée
title_fullStr Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’Astrée
title_full_unstemmed Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’Astrée
title_short Narcisse et les licornes. Magie et amour-propre dans l’Astrée
title_sort narcisse et les licornes magie et amour propre dans l astree
topic pastoral
Astrée
magic
Fountain of the Truth of Love
Unicorns
lions
url https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/13954
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