In the ancient Greek love novel, the couple is always unanimously described as ‘the ideal couple’ because of their beauty, their youth, their common social background, etc. But what about representations of less-ideal couples: couples with unequal levels of attractiveness, a considerable age gap, uneven socioeconomic background, etc.? A closer look reveals that there are numerous mythical as well as historical figures from antiquity that can be described as unconventional, such as Aphrodite and Hephaestus, Thalestris and Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Antiochus and Stratonice, etc. In this book project, Silvio Bär combines literary analyses with insights from modern cognitive science in order to tease out how ideas may have changed historically as to who makes a good match, and who does not, and why – and how certain aspects may not have changed at all, but can be regarded as universal. In our times when finding the ideal partner is sometimes considered a matter of simply swiping left or right, such an analysis may ultimately also put some of our own assumptions into perspective.
Silvio Bär is Professor of Classics at IFIKK.
The event is open to the public, and all interested parties are cordially invited to attend. A Zoom link will be provided via the Classics Seminar mailing list. If you would like to subscribe to the list (or present at the seminar), please get in touch with Tor Ivar Østmoe. Following the presentation, we will gather at Café Eckers for drinks and further informal discussions. Everyone is welcome to join (please note that expenses are not covered by the seminar).