「우리는 사랑에 대해 이야기를 할 때 무엇을 이야기할까」와 『향연』 속 에로스/사랑론에 대한비교 독해

Abstract

This essay, as a case of comparative literary studies, analyzes an ancient text, Plato’s Symposium, and a contemporary piece of short fiction, “What we Talk About When We Talk About Love”, written by Raymond Carver, an American short story writer and poet. The two texts share similar themes and settings. The Symposium, adopting the device of a play-within-play, is about a dialogue between Apollodorus and his friends about a symposium held by Agathon after he had won the prize at a dramatic competition. Seven speakers then share their ideas or theories about Eros (the Greek god or love): Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates, and Alcibiades. Each one argues for or against the concept of Eros. Phaedrus claims that Eros is good and beautiful because he is eldest god, while Aristophanes tells a myth in which the ancient human beings are severed by the force of god. Socrates claims that Eros brings forth due to the lack. Carver’s story has similar setting, in which four characters — Mel, Terry, Rick, Laura — at a drinking party share their ideas about love. They talk about two incidents related to love: Ed’s bizzare case and an old couple’s tragic case. A parallel analysis of two texts show how those texts share similar and different ideas about love. Though not regarding Carver’s story as a parody of The Symposium, the essay at least endeavors to delve into a possible comparative reading of two texts and how those texts may be deconstructed.