Daphnis And Chloe Essay

1328 Words3 Pages

Taryn Manciu
ID #: 951431532

Gender and Sexuality as a Cultural Constructions and Natural Phenomena as seen in Longus’ Daphnis and Chloe

Longus’ Daphins and Chloe often uses the opposition and/or intersection of nature and culture as a way of conceptualizing ancient gender and sexuality. In Daphins and Chloe some critics have argued that nature and culture are presented in a harmonious manner. Throughout the body of this essay I will seek to point out to what degree Longus presents gender and sexuality as “natural” phenomena and to what degree are they seen as “cultural ” constructions, in addition to showing how culture and nature become connected inside the text.
Before beginning to analyze the text I will start by outlining the story and the events that occur. In this story Daphnis and Chloe go through life completely immersed with nature and experience love in a natural setting. They are first introduced into the story as infants. Daphnis was found being suckled by a goat, and Chloe two years later was found being nursed by a sheep. Some years later when the children are into their teenage years (fifteen and thirteen), we see them again being immersed with …show more content…

Nature and culture present itself as the basis of action, by always being at the center of the story rather than just in the background or for embellishment. In the fourth book in particular the actions of the story to come are clearly outlined in the beginning of the text through the descriptions of the garden. “It contained all sorts of trees,” (Book IV, page 95), this line I see as representing all of the people in the book. It gives name to the Gods (Eros), Daphins and Chloe, (abandoned children), Lampis (herdsmen), Lamo (goatherd), Dryas (shepherd), Gnatho (male slave) and everyone else that is involved in this story. It shows the wide range of people involved in this story just as the garden contains all kinds of

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